Another Side Another Line
by DarkMageXIII
Summary: "A fragmented tale. A world without you." Roxas always knew something lied within Organization XIII's motives. When he meets the girl in white and experiences flashbacks to a life he never knew of, his investigation will uncover another side to a truth. A truth that will tear away everything from him. Prequel fic to Lines In-Between. (Rokunami) (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter I: The Key Of Destiny

Preface:

This is a prequel to my AU Lines In-Between. This will not be following 358/2 Days' storyline aside from a few plot beats (such as Castle Oblivion). Xion will appear in this story, under a much different role.

Also Roxas likes wearing his hood up a lot.

_Another Side Another Line_

_With an indifferent face you tell a lie, laughing until you feel sick._

My name is Sora.

Moments ago I had just stabbed myself with the keyblade to free hearts.

I did it for her.

And I would do it again.

An emptiness within me filled my entire body. What is this?

But I could sense it. Her light. So warm. So bright. I needed it. I needed to follow it…

How could I when I wasn't even remotely close to it.

What was happening?

I blinked.

Heavy blond bangs swayed in my face, the tips brushing against my lips.

Where was I? Why was the light walking away? Come back! I needed you.

I blinked again.

Forest surrounded me. I gasped for air for a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Her light was coming closer. Yes! Yes, I feel relieved…so warm. Her hug was calming. My shoulders relaxed.

She was my light.

It was gone.

What just happened?

I blinked.

Who was I? How did I even get here? Why did this…happen?

No feeling. No nothing.

A swirling abyss formed before me. A man in black stepped out.

"You seek answers," a deep, deep voice from the hood of the man spoke.

Indeed I did.

Why was I so empty?

"You feel nothing. You are nothing. I can give you purpose."

Purpose in what? This life?

What possible purpose could this man give me?

He put his hand in front of me. Translucent letters hovered in the air.

S o r a.

With a swish of his hand, the letter spun around me. He pressed his hand to the center, a golden X in place.

I straightened up, reading the letters through my heavy bangs. "Roxas."

"That is right, the new you." He presented a black coat to me. "Welcome to the Organization, Number XIII."

* * *

_Chapter I: Key of Destiny_

"Roxas, we have a meeting today," Number VII, Saïx said to me as I stared outside my window. "Axel will show you how to get to the Room Where Nothing Gathers."

Hammer it in that we feel nothing why don't you.

"Heya Roxas," Number VIII, Axel, walked into my room.

I turned around to look up at him through my bangs. Those red spikes of his must have stabbed someone in the eye at some point.

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Something I can help you with there, chatterbox?"

I said nothing, staring down at the floor and pulling my hood tighter.

"Oh right we're supposed to convene in the Round Room today, blegh, meetings," Axel said, crossing his arms.

My throat was dry. "Round…Room?" I said.

"That's the nickname of the place," Axel explained. "'The Room Where Nothing Gathers' is obnoxiously long so everyone else sans Saïx calls it that." He looked at me as I gave no response. "Well then, we gotta introduce you to the crew so let's get moving."

He practically shoved me out of my room and down the hallway.

The Round Room was all white, with 12 tall chairs arranged in a circle.

"Good tidings friends," Number I, the Superior, spoke with his booming voice. "Let us all welcome the keyblade's chosen. Number XIII, the Key of Destiny."

Axel shoved me forward. I looked up to see the Superior sitting with his hand on his chin; a smirk of amusement on his lips.

I turned my head to observe the other members sitting in their towering chairs.

Color. Their hair was all different colors.

Our superior. His hair was silver and shined in the light.

Number II, Xigbar, who wore an eye patch. Streaks of gray painted his black hair.

Number III, Xaldin. His black hair was styled into dreadlocks.

Number IV, Vexen. Pale dirty hair framed his scowling face.

Number V, Lexaeus, as tall as a mountain. Ginger hair.

Number VI, Zexion, whose nose was always in a book. Steel blue hair fell on his right side of his face, obscuring his eye.

Number VII, Saïx. Second in command. Hair as bright blue as a harvest moon.

Number VIII, Axel, the one I would recognize from his smirk alone. Red hair, like flames.

Number IX, Demyx, who had an odd slouch. Had dirty blond hair in some sort of a mullet.

Number X, Luxord, his hand fiddling with a card. Light blond hair trimmed to perfection.

Number XI, Marluxia. Pink hair of a cherry blossom flowed in layers to his shoulders.

Number XII, Larxene, with her glare biting. Yellow hair, like lightning, was slicked back with two thick strands sitting up.

My hood obscured my hair. My impossibly spikey hair.

* * *

I had learned how to open a dark corridor. Saïx said I was to make a corridor and go to a place called the Dark Margin, where the Superior waited for me.

I stepped out of the corridor and the Superior was sitting on a rock, his hood up. "You have arrived. I've been to see him."

Him? Who?

"He looks a lot like you," he said.

"Who…are you," I croaked.

"I'm what's left. Or, maybe I am all that ever was."

I looked down. "I meant your name."

"My name is of no importance," he looked at me. His orange eyes pierced the shadow of his hood. "What about you, do you remember your true name?"

"My true name is…" I couldn't say any more.

* * *

I was in the Grey Area. It was…grey.

Other members sat on couches.

"Roxas, you will be starting your first mission today," Saïx said to me. He looked to Axel leaning against the window. "Axel will oversee your progress."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Are you making me the kid's mentor now?"

"Yes. Teach him well," Saïx conjured up a dark corridor with his hand.

Axel gestured to the portal. "Don't worry, I will make sure he makes the grade. Well now Roxas, go on in."

I stepped forward without a word. Darkness swallowed me whole.

A light at the end of the tunnel shimmered. I was in a dark bricked area now.

I swallowed, throat still dry. "Roxas," I spoke. "That's…my name."

Axel placed a hand on my shoulder. "Yeah, that's right. That's your name. How 'bout my name then?"

"Axel," I said, drawing out each syllable I could muster.

"Got it memorized?" Axel sounded almost…glad to hear that. "And our boss' name?"

Mindlessly I said my answer. "Xemnas."

"No way you're gonna forget his name right?" Axel said, taking his hand off of my shoulder. "This is where I will show you the ropes of how missions work."

I tilted my head up to look him in the eye. "What is a…mission?"

Axel lifted his finger up to explain but stopped. "Well, a mission is…Errr. They're…hmm ya' know…"

I stared blankly at him. So much for learning, I guess.

"You know what talking is dumb. Let's just get our hands dirty," Axel said. "Follow me up this ledge."

He walked over to a high ledge in the dark alley and climbed up.

I pulled myself up the ledge with my arms shaking. I tripped over my coat and fell flat on my face.

Axel held out his hand to me and pulled me back up. "Hopefully Saïx won't yell at me if you get hurt…" he muttered. "Right. You can climb things. Yay. Now your real mission is to find a chest somewhere in these passages."

"A chest? That's all?" I said.

"Yeah, don't hurt yourself," Axel leaned back on the wall. "Off you go then."

I wandered around the alley, Axel watching me as he ate an apple. Thanks for the help.

I eventually turned a corner and before me was a chest.

Axel must've noticed my pause in surprise because he walked over and spotted the chest. "Well well, you found it."

I stood there, unmoving. "Okay."

"Uhh Roxas, chests typically have stuff in them," Axel explained to me.

"So…I open it right?"

"Yes, you open it."

I placed my hands on the chest and pushed forward. It refused to budge. "It's locked."

"And you have the key to it."

"I do?"

Axel stared at me in disbelief. "Your keyblade. Summon it and it will open the chest."

I held out my hand. In a flash of light and sparkles, appeared a silver keyblade in my grip. The teeth were made of a crown. I tapped the chest and the chest magically opened.

Axel clapped. "Bravo. So whaddaya think of this whole mission business?"

I turned to Axel, keyblade still in hand. "I could have done this blindfolded," I replied, insulted by how brain dead this mission was.

He laughed. "I don't think I want a blindfolded zombie on the loose. Alright alright smart aleck, you passed. Mission complete. Time to return to the castle, or RTC for short. But first, the icing on the cake."

I tilted my head. "The…icing on the cake?"

He took me to a clock tower. The low sun was red, making everything orange and red. I sat down on the ledge and he handed me a blue ice cream on a stick.

"The icing on the cake," he said.

I took a bite of the treat. Axel's eyes widened at how I took a bite with my front teeth. "It's…salty. And sweet," I said. I ate more and more until there was none left.

Axel still had half of his uneaten. "Anything else to say about it?"

I looked forward at the sunset, shaking my head in silence.

"Okay chatterbox," Axel muttered.

For some reason or another, I was amused at his frustration.

* * *

"Roxas, your mission is with Marluxia today," Saïx told me.

Ah. The pink haired one. Marluxia stared at my right hand with fascination. "Hello, Roxas. Welcome to the fold."

What was so interesting about my hand?

He opened a corridor to Twilight Town. I stepped out into a sandlot, no one around.

"So Roxas," Marluxia said. "I never introduced myself. I am Number XI, Marluxia."

"And what, exactly, am I supposed to be doing here?" I said. I knew his name already.

Not like I had much else to do except memorizing all their names.

Marluxia smirked. "Hmph. Your job is to collect hearts."

"And how do I do that?" That was a weird job.

"Summon your keyblade for me?"

Just thinking about it made it appear in my right hand.

Marluxia's smirk grew wider. "The Chosen One of the Keyblade. The only Nobody who can use such a weapon."

The only one…The only one who can use the keyblade?

Black bug-like things popped out of the ground. "Oh look, your target," Marluxia said. "Go eliminate them with the keyblade, Roxas."

I walked over and lifted it up. The bug stared at me, before twitching to attack me. I swiped at it and it was gone in an instant. I swiped at the other two, and they were gone as well.

"Those are called shadows. The most common of Heartless," Marluxia explained. "Your job, however, is to fight emblem heartless, not pure-bloods like those."

Three more Heartless appeared before me. They were yellow with a black and red symbol on their bodies. They twitched as they floated in the air. I poised my keyblade to fight. I leaped into the air, like it was second nature to me, and eliminated the Heartless in one massive slash.

From their bodies burst forth hearts.

Marluxia eyed my keyblade with wonder. "Ah, yes, the keyblade's power, so great. You're the best hope the Organization could have ever gotten."

"And what, exactly, do these hearts do?" I asked. "Why do we need them?"

Marluxia answered, "To create Kingdom Hearts and gain hearts of our own." He put a finger on his chin. "At least that's what Xemnas says…" he muttered.

I tilted my head. "Huh?"

Marluxia waved me off. "You've collected hearts. You're free to go."

* * *

Saïx gave me a journal to keep my thoughts and recollections in.

What do I even write in this thing?

I referred to everyone by their numbers, to keep track of them.

Axel was Number VIII. Saïx was VII.

I was Number XIII.

The Key of Destiny.

I summoned my keyblade to my hand in my room. "Kingdom Key," I said to myself. That was its name.

Why did I have this in the first place? "The only Nobody who can wield one."

* * *

What's a Nobody?" I asked Number VI, Zexion.

Zexion showed me around Twilight Town, telling me no matter what my mission was, one thing was always constant.

Collect hearts.

Zexion stopped and turned to face me. "A Nobody is an incomplete being. We lack hearts. You collecting hearts will get us closer to getting hearts of our own." He shut his book closed. "They will form Kingdom Hearts, and complete us."

Kingdom Hearts…

* * *

Number XII, Larxene, had a biting tongue. "Ugh, why do I have to babysit you?"

My eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

"Do I look like I run a nursery school?" She pointed to herself. "Well, do I?"

"I don't know, you look like you run the whining school," I mumbled.

"What? What you got something to say?" She sneered.

"Maybe I do," I said, crossing my arms. "Are you gonna keep complaining or you going to teach me magic and get this over with."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Think of the element you want, either a memory…wait you lack those, ugh. Whatever. Think of fire, fire will happen."

I held out my hand and conjured up a fiery orb. The orb bounced off my hand and smacked right into an unsuspecting heartless. "There. Are we are done now?"

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Right. We're in deep trouble if you're the keyblade wielder carrying us through our goals. Blegh, Marluxia must be lying…"

I told myself never to run missions with Larxene again.

* * *

My silence annoyed Axel to no end.

I wondered how long I could keep this up.

Every day after missions I walked up to the clock tower with sea-salt ice cream and ate without a word to Axel.

He would try to say something to me, and I would give short replies or none at all.

"Talk about a man of few words…Lexaeus is more chatty than you are," Axel grumbled.

I had to bend my head down to hide my smirk.

* * *

Vexen had his head in his notebook the entire time we were assigned to our mission.

"I'm assuming you can read, right?" He questioned me while scribbling something down.

"Uh, yeah?" I quirked an eyebrow. This guy was weird.

"And your keyblade…Does it have a name?"

"Kingdom Key," I said without a thought.

"And do you remember anything before you became a Nobody?"

"Nope," I said, popping the p syllable.

"Hmm yes good, now, what do you see before you, Roxas?"

I looked around. "It's a town."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes. It's a town. Tell me more."

"It's the heart of this town since there are shops and stuff," I said. "What's the point of all this anyways? Is this a mission or is this 20 questions?"

Vexen looked like he was gonna have a stroke. "You…There's tons of data to collect here, boy! Heartless population, how many people live here, our environmental obstacles. Our intelligence gathered beforehand allows us to do our missions with ease.

Somehow I highly doubt that his questions about my keyblade's name or my past had something to do with assessments of our environment.

He sighed. "Your mind wasn't cut out for this, was it? But you're not off the hook yet, boy. If I let you quit with these results I'd be a laughing stock of the castle. Analyze the data before you Roxas, lest I let you remain to be an idiot."

I looked around again, feeling insulted. "Alright old man, I will observe better."

"You insolent-"

I cut him off. "The sun is always in a perpetual state of twilight. The town was built to reflect that. The clothing shop sells loose fitting clothes, unlike our heavy black coats. The ice cream shop is frequented the most, judging the line I always see coming here; the heartless prefer dark places out of sight." I pointed to a hole in the wall. "And there's a hole leading to the woods. What are the woods? Who knows, people don't really go there so it's not a place full of people. Anything else you need me to drone on about or can I leave?"

Vexen put up his finger to retort, but couldn't do it. Bingo. "…Fine. You can leave. But, one more thing."

I tilted my head. "What?"

"Do you know how you got that keyblade?"

I shrugged as I walked towards the dark corridor. "I don't know."

* * *

Lexaeus was much taller when you stood before him in person.

"Do you know how to fight at your absolute limit?" he asked me, as we stood in the sandlot.

"Limit?" I tilted my head. "No?"

A giant shadow heartless crawled out of the ground.

"It is when you're fighting at your strongest to survive. Time for some practical application," Lexaeus said.

"Practical application?" I said, right before he decked me in the face. I was sent flying across the lot, sliding on my back on the ground.

"What the-What wazz th-that for?!" I yelled. My jaw hurt like someone dislocated it. He probably did.

"Now you're on your last legs," Lexaeus explained. "Fight the heartless."

I pushed myself back up. Weakness shook my legs and arms, and pain stabbed my face. Ow…

Keyblade in hand, I wobbled over to the giant heartless. I swung at it with a limp noodle of an arm.

It lashed its claws out at me, scratching my arm. "Ouch!" I held my arm. I huffed and puffed for air. Practical application my butt. I pushed myself forward, utilizing all my strength to press on and defeat the heartless.

I slid to the side of the heartless and stabbed it with my keyblade. It vanished.

I collapsed to my knees. "I…did it…"

Lexaeus looked me over. "Indeed you did. Think of this mission as an exercise in pushing yourself to survive on solo missions…and to watch what you say to your superiors."

Oh, so that's what this was all about? "Yeah yeah, I get it," I said, wiping my mouth. He handed me a potion and I gulped it down.

* * *

"Heya Roxas," Axel greeted me in the morning. Finally, I wasn't going to be stuck with the other weirdos of the Organization today.

I yawned. "Axel?"

"You and me are assigned on a mission today," he said. "I am to aid you in collecting more hearts."

I nodded. Just how long was it gonna be till he catches on?

After our mission, Axel and I sat on the clock tower, ice creams in hand. I ate away, but Axel glared at his treat.

"Why is it you won't speak more than 5 syllables sheesh. I have to hand in my report today on you to Saïx and I highly doubt he will be happy to read "still acts like a zombie!" He continued his rant for about 5 minutes.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started laughing.

He stopped and stared at me. "You've been messing with me the entire time?"

"I couldn't help myself, your face was priceless," I laughed, falling back on the ledge. "Still afraid to let a zombie loose?"

Axel glared at me, reaching over and grasping the metal beaded string of my hood. "Only if a zombie looks like this." He yanked on the chain, the thread pulling my hood too tight over my head and face. I shoved him off and opened my hood up so I could see again.

Sitting back up, I glared at Axel, who was laughing. "Touché."

We settled into silence once more. He finished his ice cream.

"So, got any questions?" he asked me. "Since you've finished a full week of missions?"

"I…What is a heart?"

Axel dropped his stick. "Errr, it's what allows us to feel emotions. Like happiness, sadness, anger, all those."

"What is it like, having emotions?" I looked down at the bottom of the clock tower. "Vexen asked me a slew of questions and I couldn't even answer half of them…"

Axel pointed to his temple. "Most Nobodies can fake our emotions because we remember what it was like. And believe me, remembering what it was like, it's something worth getting. That's why the Organization wants Kingdom Hearts. Complete us. Gain new hearts of our own. Xemnas leads us to the goal, and he is lucky to have found you, the only one who can unlock hearts from the heartless."

"I guess…I don't remember what it was like. So far," I said, almost mumbling my words. "It seems like such a big deal…But I don't understand it at all."

"Maybe one day you'll understand, when you regain your memories or gain a heart of your own."

* * *

Xemnas was lucky to have found me. Me. The only Nobody who can collect hearts and complete Kingdom Hearts.

Yet, even as I stared at my keyblade in my room, something bothered me.

What Marluxia said about our goals. Xemnas was our leader, the Superior. Surely he had control and knew what he was doing, right?

I would have to ask Number XI himself.

"Roxas," Saïx didn't even bother with the greetings whenever I entered the Grey Area. "Your assignment today is with Marluxia. Find this heartless and exterminate it." He presented a photo of a pink-petal plant heartless.

"Alright," I took the photo and put it in my coat pocket.

Marluxia followed after me through the dark corridor into Twilight Town, his pink scythe in hand.

"Well then, shall we?" Marluxia said, gesturing to the hole in the wall. "Plant heartless like foliage."

I nodded, ducking down into the hole in the wall. Trees covered the perpetual sunlight, streaks of its rays struggling to get in.

Before me was a giant plant heartless, bigger than any of the others. Its petals were pink.

"Found our target," Marluxia said.

I cast fire out of the tip of my keyblade right at the plant. Marluxia sliced at the seeds it fired at us. I leapt over Marluxia's head and set fire to the heartless once more. Bashing my keyblade into it, a giant heart burst forth from the roots and faded into the air.

I put my keyblade away. "Done," I said.

Marluxia nodded. "Well done. You've become proficient with your keyblade already, almost as if it's second nature to you."

I shrugged. "I guess."

Marluxia turned to return to the castle.

"Wait," I stopped him. "I have one question."

He turned back around, his pink hair swaying. "What is it?"

"What did you mean by 'that's what Xemnas says?'" I asked.

His lips curled up into a smirk. "Aren't you the perceptive one. You're smart, you'll eventually figure it out in due time, Roxas, Chosen of the Keyblade." He walked away, leaving me even more confused.

I climbed to the top of the clock tower, where Axel already finished his mission and his ice cream.

"Hey slowpoke," he teased, handing me an ice cream. "I gotta leave early today so my treat."

"Where are you going?" I asked, then taking a bite out of my ice cream.

"Eh, gotta prepare to leave for Castle Oblivion. A bunch of members are being sent there and I am one of them.

"Oh." I took another bite. "When will you be back?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. Got some important top secret stuff to do there. You just keep on keeping on."

I looked down at my frozen treat. "Right."

_You're smart, you'll figure it out._

"Roxas?" Axel asked me in concern. "Don't go all silent on me again."

I shook my head. "No, nothing is wrong. Long day."

Axel sighed and sat back against the wall. "Tell me about it." He stood up. "See ya later Roxas."

I finished my ice cream to find the stick said "WINNER" on it. What did this mean?

The sunset was extra red today. I would ask Axel before he left.

* * *

_ Secret Report I_

Axel's report on Number XIII proved my hypothesis correct. He was, in fact, able to unlock any lock with his keyblade, which meant he could unleash the hearts inside the emblem heartless. Just like Sora.

Ah, Sora. The boy took back his memories, leaving Roxas with none if any reports by Vexen are to go by. Saïx has already set the boy to work, though he certainly is a moody teenager.

Reminds me of…No. I don't remember at all.

Once Number XI and XII are disposed of, it's only a matter of time before Roxas completes Kingdom Hearts.

It's all according to plan.

* * *

Hello! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my short side fanfiction companion piece to Lines In-Between. Each secret report will not be written by the same person each time, and none will be written by Roxas.

Feel free to review! :D


	2. Chapter II: Unto Oblivion

_Chapter II: Unto Oblivion_

_Wanting-what-you-can't-have-Blues._

_Everybody is yearning for peace of mind._

Where was Axel? Did he leave already?

"Axel?" I asked down the hallway near his room. Saïx walked past me.

"If you're looking for Axel he already departed for Castle Oblivion," he said.

I stood there, popsicle stick in hand. I stuck it in my pocket. I would ask him about it when he returned.

Day after day passed. In my room, I would stare at the popsicle stick in my fingers. WINNER.

What did I win? I shoved it back

(Un)fortunately for me, I got stuck working with other Organization members.

My mission today was with Xigbar, Number II.

Oh, joy.

Xigbar's single eye inspected me as Saïx handed me the mission brief.

"You are to gather intel about this world," Saïx informed me. "Keep Number II in line."

Xigbar tossed up his hands in disbelief. "Whoa, I don't need a babysitter. I am appalled by your lack of faith in me, Number VII."

Saïx simply shoved the mission report into his hands and left open a corridor of darkness for us.

Xigbar's smirk never left his face the entire way we walked through the In-Betwixt and In-Between.

"So kiddo..."

I tilted my head up just enough for my hooded eyes to glare at him.

He continued on. "Rumor has it there's some funky business going on in Castle Oblivion. Do you know of anything?"

I shrugged. "How should I know?"

The words of Marluxia came back to me.

_You're smart, you'll eventually figure it out in due time._

Stepping out of the corridor, heat smacked me in the head. Blazing light blinded me. This coat was suddenly a death trap for heat. Sweat began to form all over my body already.

As my eyes adjusted to the blast of light, I noticed one very, very important detail.

There was sand. Everywhere.

"Wow, Saïx you could at least send us in white leather coats instead..." Xigbar pulled at his collar, trying to cool himself down. "Come on, the faster we move it the faster we leave this oven of a world."

A sand-filled oven. I stumbled forward. So hot. So...suffocating.

I blinked my eyes to focus on what was in front of me. A stall. I then looked up at the blinding sky. A headache formed in my skull. The walls were high, pieces of brick crumbling off. Scaffolding hung off the sides, hammers and buckets resting on the planks.

"Looks like recent damage was dealt to the city..." I muttered.

Xigbar brushed his glove over the stones. "Aren't you astute. Some sort of sandstorm hit this place hard."

That explains the sand everywhere.

My head throbbed as I stumbled forward. "Aren't sandstorms common for a place like this?"

Xigbar shook his head. "Not the type to deal this much damage."

I squinted, trying so hard to see in the blaring light. "So you're saying this is an unnatural sandstorm."

"Bingo! Man, you're very on top of things tiger. Guess Vexen's report was right." He looked down an archway, then back around to face an enormous gate. "We're right in front of a palace."

"What makes you think that?" I asked, trying to observe the gate with fail. Man, it was hot. I wiggled my coat to cool off.

"It's more ornate and expensive-looking than the entire rest of the town. I wonder if there's royalty in there." Xigbar brushed his finger over the carvings. "Welp, not gonna go in there anyway, lest we wanna get caught and beheaded. Better move along."

I could have sworn I was seeing a guy in red next to Xigbar. Pounding. Pounding. Lips dry. "Sure...Right," I muttered.

Xigbar waved his hand in front of me. "Hey, kiddo you alive?"

The guy in red was holding my keyblade. I reached out to him with my hand.

* * *

"Let Kairi go!"

"I am sorry Sora. I'm not the person who is important to you."

"You've defeated Axel."

"Let Naminé go!"

"Erase Sora's memory."

"So how could I destroy his heart? There's no way! I don't care what happens to me. I won't hurt Sora! I won't do it!"

A girl in white stood before me, a sad smile upon her lips.

"Huh?" I spoke. "Who are you?"

She simply turned around and walked away.

"Come back! Wait! That...was you wasn't it?" I asked her. "That was your pain."

She stopped, nodding without looking at me.

I placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at me through red strands. My brown bangs swayed as I nodded back at her, my white-gloved hand still on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

* * *

My eyes snapped open. It was all a dream. Just a dream.

Something happened to Axel. And who was...Kairi? Sora?

And the girl in white? Who was she? And why does seeing her so sad make my gut drop?

I got up from my bed, all my muscles aching. I cracked my knuckles, my shoulders, my neck. How long had I been asleep? When did I fall asleep? I zipped up my coat and stood up. Ugh. I felt heavy. I stumbled forward, trying to regain my sense of walking.

Walking down the hallway and into the Grey Area, no one was there. The silence was deafening.

I turned back around, only to be faced with a Nobody I had never seen before. There was the Dusks, the Assassins controlled by Axel, the Berserkers by Saïx, the Snipers by Xigbar, but I hadn't seen this one once. It was a steel blue and grey, two blades in an x-shape on its back.

My liege.

I tilted my head. "Huh?"

It bowed to me. What did this Nobody want with me? "Where is Saïx?" I asked it. With another bow, the Nobody simply walked away.

That was that I guess.

I opened a portal and left to Twilight Town.

Sitting upon the clocktower, I thought about my dreams. I was fighting Axel with my own keyblade. Marluxia was impressed that I had defeated him. Even if the dream wasn't real, the sinking feeling something happened to him still remained.

I looked over the town. At the edge of the main hub was the forest and some sort of older building poking out of the trees. How odd.

Climbing back down the tower I made my way through the streets. Teenagers ran past me, laughing. About what, I didn't know. Down in the tram common, I found the same hole in the wall. I ducked down into the hole into the woods. Sunlight poured in through the tree leaves, spots of light illuminating the grass. What was behind here?

I came upon a clearing and found a large mansion. The courtyard was closed behind a gate. This place was familiar but...I didn't remember a thing about it. Why didn't I remember? Why couldn't I remember?

This place only served to remind me of one thing, that I had no memories to go off of. I was born with nothing. And nothing, I should ever have.

I thought about Axel, who was gone. A choked feeling in my throat rose. He was simply...gone. Possibly forever. I didn't need confirmation for that.

And the girl in my dreams...Who was she? And why did I suddenly miss her too?

Walking back into town, I just stood around, looking at things. The lamp posts were lit to signal the end of the day, the eternal sunset would fall for a mere few hours then return.

By the ice cream shop were three teenagers all having a bar of sea-salt ice cream. One of them was a girl in orange. The other two were guys, one dressed in camouflage pants and the other in a red t-shirt. Two of them laughed while the one in camo had a silly looking face.

I blinked. Suddenly there weren't those three anyone laughing. Now I saw a guy who looked just like me, save for the brown hair, making silly faces, while a girl with red hair and a guy with silver hair laughed.

My gut burned with envy. I wanted that so much, and I didn't know why. I pulled my hood over my face tighter and left.

* * *

I went back to the castle, walking the hallways with my head down. Footsteps alerted me to someone. I looked up and Xemnas stood in front of me.

"You're awake at last," he said in his booming voice. A smirk crept up his lips. "Excellent. Be sure to prepare yourself for tomorrow's work."

And he brushed past me, leaving it at that.

I slept so much I was wide awake at the stroke of midnight. I sat up on my bed, my journal open. I wrote what I could think of, everything I could think of. How I felt when the realization of Axel being gone hit me. When that got old, I thought about the feelings in my gut. These were the result of...Something.

I didn't have a heart, but I sure did feel like I had one. I rolled over and stared outside my window into the endless abyss of The World That Never Was.

Tomorrow came, and I had only one goal: collect hearts, so I may gain one of my own.

But then another thought plagued me. That mansion. Perhaps I could...No. Saïx wouldn't approve.

My curiosity was far far too great.

Walking into the grey area at the first chance in the early morning, Saïx was the only one there. He organized reports on a table.

"Ah, Lord Xemnas informed me you were awake," Saïx said, not even bothering to look at me. He picked up a paper and handed it to me. "I will take it easy on you for one day since you're out of practice, but tomorrow is a full workload."

"What happened at Castle Oblivion?" I asked.

Saïx didn't even flinch at the question. "The entire team was eliminated."

My gut sank. It was true.

"Get to work," Saïx said curtly.

I nodded and opened a dark corridor to Twilight Town.

Globs of shadow littered the entire back alley. Like...huge purple and black globs. Where did these even come from?

I summoned my keyblade and slashed it down on the glob in front of me. Then I looked up and saw one on the wall...And the roof?

I sighed. So much for a low workload. When I finished, I put my keyblade away and huffed for air. My legs and arms ached.

"Heya Roxas," the familiar and startling voice of Axel called behind me.

Eyes wide, I slowly turned around. I could just be imagining things, but there he was, standing there with not a single scratch.

He had a grin on his face. "It's been a while."

I just stood there, mouth gaping. Did Saïx lie to me? What was I supposed to be feeling at this very moment? Surprise? Relief? Anger?

I was confused more than anything. "Axel?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

It took me a second to get my jaw to move. "I heard everyone at Castle Oblivion was annihilated..."

Axel waved that comment off. "Not me, I'm tough," he said with a bemused smile.

I shook my head, spitting out my words before I could think. "I was worried. I thought you were...gone."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Worry? We Nobodies don't have the hearts to worry, ya know?"

Right. I had no heart. Why was I even remotely concerned about the emotions I carried? They were fake. I was only pretending. "Right...So, sea-salt ice cream?"

"You read my mind, my friend," Axel said with a chuckle.

He has a lot of explaining to do.

The two of us sat upon the clock tower. I devoured my ice cream, not realizing I was starving all day.

My eyes drifted over to the forest in the distance. Perhaps I would investigate another day. "Say, Axel?" I said out loud. "What makes um...What's a friend?"

Axel paused in his attempt to take another bite out of his ice cream. "Umm well. Friendship is just...Doing stuff together with someone you enjoy the company of like, we sit up here and eat a treat while watching the sunset." He gestured down below to the three teenagers I saw yesterday running around. "Or pal around with your friends and experience happiness together." Axel leaned back against the clock. "Someone you can trust with some things."

Pal around. Enjoy the company of. Happiness. Trust.

"So what happened at Castle Oblivion?" I questioned.

He closed his eyes. "In due time I will tell you."

* * *

_Secret Report II_

Roxas was awake at long last. The reports of Castle Oblivion were accurate. Sora is asleep. Roxas awakes. Naminé, however, is missing. The pesky girl escaped, along with Sora's slumbering body.

Axel said he could not find her, but I find it to be suspect.

Ah Naminé, her existence was a boon to my plans. But now, she was gone and threw all my plans into disarray for now. As long as Sora slumbers and Roxas does as he is told, things will go as I needed. Saïx disposed of Number XI and Number XII, but also Number IV got caught in the crossfire. The replica program is terminated, with some degree of success. I must have Saïx lock down his lab.

Meanwhile, Roxas has some catching up to do, and I must make a trip to Hollow Bastion.

* * *

Whew this took too long and it was too short for my liking. Oh well. This fic will be updated more before I move back to _Lines In-Between_ and finish that off.

Anyways, Happy Rokunami Week!

a54321: I'm so glad it was a great way to end the workday! :D Thank you!

Umbrella6661: It will mostly include Days since I've got something special involving CoM's storyline in the next few chapters of _Lines In-Between._

Guest: Thank you!

Q-A the Authoress: Next chapter the first meeting will happen. ;)


	3. Chapter III: Naminé

_Chapter III: Naminé _

_My days that were so boring began to shine from that day that you came into my life._

_I felt alright even in solitude and in pain._

* * *

Boredom didn't cut the description. My mind was staring at the ceiling of my bedroom wondering about nothing.

Axel has been oddly chatty lately on the clocktower ever since he came back. So chatty it's been taking up all spare time after missions and I cannot get away to investigate that mansion.

Every time I asked about Castle Oblivion he simply dodged the question. When was due time? Was Castle Oblivion that secret that he couldn't tell me, his own...friend?

Is that what we were? Friends?

Yeah. We were. He said some secrets. Some meant not all.

I fell asleep at last.

When I woke up something felt...Different today. I got up and walked to the Grey Area. Demyx was eating ramen, Xigbar was reading the newspaper, Xaldin was sharpening a lance, and Luxord was organizing his cards.

Axel was blowing his nose. "Stupid cold," he muttered from his position against the wall.

I looked up at him. "You're sick?"

He nodded, pulling another tissue out of the box he was holding. "Waiting on Saïx's verdict for my mission."

Speaking of Number VII and he shall appear. "Axel," he spoke, not even phased in his tone by the sight of Axel with dark rings around his eyes and a red nose. "You are required to return to your room and must undergo treatment to catch up on your work soon."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Axel waved him off, walking away slowly with the tissue box tucked underneath his arm. "I will see ya later Roxas. I have to dip out on our meet up."

I nodded. "Feel better, Axel." He looked awful. Very awful.

He looked back at me with a smile. "Thanks."

Perhaps I should bring him something after my work was done.

"Roxas, get to work," Saïx ordered, handing me a paper and walking off. "And Demyx you're picking up Axel's slack today."

Number IX set down his ramen with a whine. "Aww, why do I have to do it?"

"Because your last mission report was only half complete. No excuses," Saïx said with a glare. I could have sworn his x-shaped scar flared up for a moment.

Demyx grabbed the missive in Saïx's hand and fled through a dark corridor. I snapped my fingers and entered my own corridor.

Defeat a Darkside in Twilight Town. How hard could that be?

I strolled up the hill to the Station Plaza.

A giant heartless with tendrils and a gaping heart-shaped hole in its chest slammed its fist, sending me flying against the ground. Ow. I sat up and my eyes widened at just how huge the Heartless was. I didn't even think they could get this big.

Keyblade in my grip, I took a deep breath. "Okay then," I muttered under my breath, tucking in my hood. "You asked for it!" I ran at the Darkside, its fist still stuck in the ground. Purple darkness swirled out. Small shadows twitched up from the ground. "Great, small fry too." I swiped them away like flies.

The Darkside pulled his fist out. The empty heart-formed an orb of darkness within, sparks of energy crackling. The orbs shot out one by one, all tracking in towards me. I sidestepped each one, my keyblade in front of me in case one slipped in. The Darkside slammed its fist towards me again. I stumbled as I rolled out of the way, landing on my knees. Using Kingdom Key to get back up I saw my opportunity. I leaped up onto its fist and ran up the arm. Its large glowing eyes met mine for a second before I swung the keyblade with all my weight at its head.

It froze before fading in ashes into oblivion. I landed on my feet, stumbling forward and nearly tripping on my coat. I huffed for air.

That Heartless was huge. And I had a sinking feeling that there were more like it.

My mission was complete. No Axel to have ice cream with today on the clock tower and no chatter. I was... Disappointed? It wasn't his fault he got a cold but I was still disappointed anyways.

Then it dawned on me. No Axel meant this was my opportunity. Finally, I could go investigate that mansion. There had to be something in it, right? Why else would I even be invested in wanting to know why I was drawn to it.

Dusting myself off and putting my keyblades away, I made my way down the slope and into the main town. Murmurs of the defeat of a giant shadowy creature by the train station were on the lips of the passersby.

I ducked through the hole in the wall and into the forest once more. The sunset, even when I couldn't watch it from atop the clock tower, still comforted me with spots of its rays through the branches.

Once again, even though I expected no different, the gates and the mansion were as closed and still as before. Nothing changed.

My eyes combed the place, wondering just what was within this closed-off place. Dusty statues and broken tables were my first thought. Then something caught my eye. Something slightly off.

The window on the second floor was open. The white curtains flowed from the slight breeze fanning my face. Why was it open? Was it always open? Had I missed that detail last time I looked at this place?

If I couldn't get in via the front door the window would be my second resort. Now to get inside the actual courtyard.

I was an idiot. Once hundred percent an idiot.

I took a few steps back from the wall. Vines crawled down the sides, the very end not even touching the ground. I ran and jumped up the side of the wall, my hands latching onto the vines. I was a lot heavier than I anticipated, for it was a struggle pulling myself up to grab the ledge. I was halfway over the wall and I realized...I was in no comfortable position to be able to get down without possible injury or tearing the vines that would allow me to leave.

Only one thing left I could do. I rolled myself off the ledge and landed on my back.

Ow.

I sat back up. The door wasn't too far now. After that giant Heartless and falling off a ten-foot wall I was surprised I was able to get back up. I walked over to the door and to my surprise...There was no doorknob at all. What kind of a door doesn't have a doorknob?

I rolled my eyes. There was only one resort left to do to get inside. Climb to the second-story window. I rolled up the sleeves of my coat and flexed my fingers. There were bushes underneath the window, giving somewhat of a boost. I looked over at the broken statue ruins in the courtyard, one still standing tall enough to the height of the roof overlooking the door.

I sighed. My idiotic curiosity was going to get me flung off a building again very soon. I hopped onto the platform of the smallest ruin, and then jumped up to the next highest and then finally I was standing on top of the pillar. I jumped onto the roof, nearly slipping off into the bushes, my feet stopping my slip up at the very edge. The window was open still. I crawled over to the wall. Good, it was open to my side. I reached over to the ledge beneath the window. It was big enough for most of my feet to stand upon, but not enough to completely rest upon. With a careful stretch of my leg and my hand grasping the wooden panel of the window, I began moving down the window to the open panel off-center. I pulled myself in over the open panel and realized once again I was in a poor position to land. I rolled myself into the room, landing in a tangled mess on the floor in my coat.

An audible gasp reached my ears. There was someone in my room. I froze in my struggle, expecting something to happen. When nothing did I collected myself and stood up, observing my surroundings. The room was blinding white. Everything was white, just like the castle. I looked up under my hood to see the source of the gasp.

And there she was, the girl in my dreams.

Her flaxen hair was brushed to one side, her bangs falling freely in her face. A white dress clung to her small form. Sky blue sandals were tied on her feet. But most importantly, her eyes, blue and purple together in a harmonic blend, were so, so familiar, like the ocean. I couldn't help but stare at the girl sitting in her chair, a sketchbook clutched in her hand.

She was wide-eyed and staring at me in a mixture of fear and confusion.

Reality came slapping back to me. I was wearing a dark coat and I had just broken into her room and my hood obscured most of my face. I pulled it back just enough for her to see my eyes clearly. My heavy bangs slipped out more, but I didn't care. I just wanted her to not be utterly terrified of me right now.

"Um..." I lamely attempted to speak. "Hi?"

She inspected my face with careful attention. Her expression became one of familiarity like she knew me before.

I cleared my throat. "I'm Roxas."

She took one second before her lips curled up into a smile. "Hello, Roxas."

My face was burning. Did Axel give me that cold he got?

Her voice was so gentle and smooth. I definitely remembered it from my dreams, but she was more...angry. Defiant. Here, she wasn't like that.

"My name is Naminé," she continued. "Why are you here?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion at me.

Good question. "Something...Prompted me to come here. Mostly my own uh, curiosity?" My eyes flickered to her sketchbook then back to her eyes. "Why are you here?"

She tapped her pencil against the rings of her book. "Because where else should I go?"

Naminé had a point. It was the same with me and The Castle That Never Was. I stuck to the Organization because they took me in; I had nowhere else to go.

I nodded at her. "So..." I stared at my sneakers. "Have we met before?"

She blinked. "No, I don't think so. I have met someone who you reminded me of."

Ah, so we haven't ever met ever, or at least from what I remembered. Perhaps I met her long ago when I wasn't a Nobody wearing a black coat and had memories.

It was beginning to get late, and I still had to bring back something to cheer up Axel. "I...I have to go," I said.

Naminé nodded, her lips falling into a frown. "Please...Don't tell anyone about this place. Or about me."

She was hiding from something or someone. "Yeah. I promise."

I waved at her as I proceeded to look down from her open window. Just great. All that was there to cushion my fall was a bunch of bushes. I really needed to improve my climbing skills.

When I fell off the wall to the courtyard after clumsily stumbling out of the bushes, I looked back at the white room on the second floor.

Speaking to Naminé was like speaking to an old friend I had been missing all this time.

* * *

I barged into Axel's room, a bag full of ice cream in my grip. "Yo Axel."

He cracked an eye open form his bed, pillows squishing down his spikes. "Roxas?"

I lifted up the bag. "I'm putting these into the freezer. They're yours. I picked up various flavors to try." I turned right around and made my way to the kitchen, leaving him not even a second to contemplate my words.

The next day I went back to that mansion. With much effort, I climbed back into Naminé's room. She wasn't fazed by my entrance this time, instead, her brows furrowed in deep concentration over her drawing.

I peered over her shoulder. The drawing was of...Me. Coat and hood and all.

"Hello again, Roxas," she said.

I chuckled. "You expected me to return?"

"I kinda did, but I wasn't sure." She tapped the pencil end to her lips in thought. "I mean you put in all the effort to get in here I didn't think you would want to just walk away."

I pulled up a chair by her side, watching the drawing become more and more detailed. The chains on my hood, my black gloves, the soft spikes of my annoying bangs poking out of my hood.

"Say, Naminé," I spoke, tracing circles with my finger on the table. "Are you definitely sure we haven't met before?"

She paused in her pencil stroke. "No, I cannot recall us ever meeting before."

It slipped out of my mouth before I could even stop it. "Not even in a past life?"

Her eyes grew wide for a moment, her head turned towards me. "A past life? Like...A Nobody?"

Wait she knew what Nobodies were? "Yeah. A Nobody." Why was it so easy to talk to her? To tell her things I wouldn't share with anyone else? Not even Axel?

"I mean I am one, but I don't remember my past. I lack the memories of what I was before I became a Nobody," Naminé explained, placing down her sketchbook and pencil. Her hands were on her knees. "Strange. Why is it so easy to talk to you?"

The words choked in my mouth. I swallowed dryly, trying to register her words and respond. "Because maybe we did...Meet before, before we became Nobodies."

She looked at me oddly, curious. "Hmm..."

I heard the chime of the clock tower in the distance. Darn that bell. "I should go. See you again, Naminé."

She waved to me as I climbed out of her window. "See you again, Roxas."

* * *

That night, I flopped onto my bed, mind reeling from it all. Naminé was another Nobody, just like me. Just like the rest of the Organization. But unlike Axel, she didn't have memories of the past.

We had to have met right? There was just no way we couldn't have. She was too familiar, her presence was all too comforting. Too easy to spill my thoughts out loud, and she felt the very same. She was my friend from a past life. Perhaps we could also be friends in this one.

And I went back. Over and over. I wanted to know her more than anything. Another Nobody who carried no memories.

The week passed. I had just returned to the castle after my mission and a visit to Naminé.

Xigbar tinkered with his arrow guns, looking through the scope to test. He spotted me in my scope. "Hey, kiddo. Heard Axel's cold is lightening up and he will be able to work tomorrow."

Demyx as per usual laid upon the couch in the Grey Area, strumming his sitar. "Finally! Saïx has been shoving all his work onto me."

Xigbar pointed his scope in Demyx's general direction, causing him to flinch.

Axel was better. I should say hello and see if he tried the mountain of ice creams I bought him yet.

I made my way down to his room in the endless white hallway, thinking about how I was gonna tell him about the endless complaining Demyx did all week about the extra work.

"You're getting too attached."

I stopped in my footsteps when I heard the unmistakable voice of Saïx coming from Axel's room. The doorway was closed save for a tiny slip. I froze if he even heard me. No pause in his words allowed me some relief. I pushed myself up against the wall to peer inside and hear more clearly.

"Attached? Me? I don't know what you're talking about," Axel responded.

"Hmph. Now that cold has worn off, I can ask you with a clear head if there's any more information you can tell me about what remains in Castle Oblivion."

"Everything in the reports is all I know."

"Not even a hunch as to where Naminé is or how she escaped?"

My chest tightened at the mention of her name. Saïx wanted to know where she was. Saïx knew of her? Yet she was never mentioned, not once. Not even when I told Vexen that I lacked memories, which Saïx surely would have mentioned that detail with me, that another experienced the same as I.

_Please...Don't tell anyone about this place. Or about me._

Why did Saïx want Naminé?

"I don't know how she got out. In there one minute, gone the next," Axel waved him off. "Tell Lord Xemnas that everything in my reports is all I know. By the way," he shifted himself off his bed and stretched. "You were right about Marluxia and Larxene."

My blood ran cold. Right. I had forgotten. The rest of the Castle Oblivion team was eliminated. Who even was strong enough to take those guys on?

But it was a reminder of those vague words Marluxia left me, expecting me to figure them out.

"I merely just sent off all those who would be getting in our way," Saïx said, not an ounce of remorse or guilt in his tone.

Sheesh.

"The traitors are dealt with, as per Lord Xemnas' orders. But even so, he will not be pleased. You may be sent back to search for Naminé...Or even the chamber."

Axel looked at him with his mouth in a tight line. "You know better than I that place is impossible to search every room. Xemnas can send me all he wants he will not find what he seeks."

"I am...Merely the messenger. If you want to complain, tell Lord Xemnas yourself."

I had to leave before I got caught eavesdropping. My chest was tight with all this information. They wanted Naminé. They rounded up the traitors and sent them to their demise. They wanted a chamber.

Axel could never know about Naminé, not until I figured out why they wanted her so badly. I was right; in my own twisted gut, I knew that Saïx wasn't someone to trust. None of them were.

As I walked back to my room, trying to keep quiet with each step, a sickening feeling bubbled in my stomach. Axel was right. Most secrets we could tell each other as friends.

But Naminé was the one secret I had discovered and could never tell.

* * *

_Secret Report 3_

The big man has been even more stoic ever since Axel came back from the supposed dead. Talk about a shock when everyone from CO was thought to be toast. Xemnas really needs to calm down about that report Axel turned in about that chamber. Didn't he even realize that place was an endless maze that no one could ever hope to navigate?

And Roxas was still moody as ever. Man, this Organization needs a therapist. I wonder why Roxas was always a moody teenager, when from the reports I've heard of the other kid he's as upbeat and sees the glass half full.

Perhaps Roxas got too much of that ol' brush of darkness Sora got to turn himself into a Heartless.

I don't know what the big man has been cooking, not entirely. He hasn't even told me, but Saïx certainly knows. Saïx was stricter as a stick than even Xemnas was. Of course, Saïx could keep a secret probably better than I can.

I certainly had my own of course, can't spill the beans on everything. Now if only I knew what exactly Axel, Saïx, and Xemnas were up to.

* * *

(I promise I will be finishing up Rokunami Week I just really wanted this chapter out lol)

Thank you avengersassemble1099 for your review! It makes my day! And thank you all for the favorites and follows! I hope this story will continue to make your day.


	4. Chapter IV: Treasured Memories

_Chapter IV: Treasured Memories_

_Through sickness and in health_

_Through storms and in good weather_

_We shall walk together_

* * *

"I wonder who that guy in the black hood is though..." I said, thinking-out-loud. "'To lose is to find, and to find is to lose.'"

"That is correct." Marluxia's voice said behind us. "You seek something important to you...Even though you have it for now."

"I do?" I glared at him. "Explain?"

"Hm." Marluxia walked forward, straight to the girl with red locks. "You will do."

She backed up, hands up in fists. "Don't touch me!"

"K—i!" I yelled along with Donald, and Goofy, reaching out to save her.

Donald raised his staff. "Thunder!"

Nothing happened. The man shook his head and a dark corridor appeared behind the girl with a flick of his wrist. "I'm sure the Chilly Academic would love to ask you a few questions." He grabbed her by the wrists and shoved her in. Her form flickered from red hair to blonde hair.

"Sora!" She cried out to me. The corridor vanished.

My world was collapsing. "What did you do to her?!"

"You want to find her? Your precious one? Then continue on." Marluxia flicked a blue card at me. "Remember the rules are different...To lose is to find, and to find is to lose, here in Castle Oblivion."

* * *

I sat up, sweat dripping off my forehead. It was just a dream. All just a dream.

It was too real though. Like it actually happened.

Even more disturbing was the girl looked just like Namine. Worse, it was Naminéfor a few moments.

Whatever happened in Castle Oblivion, I only knew the very beginning of it. Or my mind was playing tricks on me.

I looked out my window, pushing it open to allow air in to caress my face. I hadn't seen Naminé in weeks ever since Axel got over his cold and became just as chatty as before, perhaps even more so. Not that I was complaining.

It was early in the morning. I should just get up so maybe I would have time to see her again.

I yawned as I walked to the Grey Area. Strangely, Xigbar was there along with Saïx.

"Come on you gotta do something about the big man's wandering off. What kind of an organization are we if our illustrious leader isn't anywhere to be found?"

Saïx shook his head. "The Superior doesn't inform any of us as to his whereabouts on his outside excursions. Now if you'll excuse me," he gestured to the papers in his hands. "I have assignments to give out and you," he glared at Xigbar, who was unflinching at the narrow yellow eyes of death. "Have a job to do. No excuses."

Xigbar raised his arms up in defense. "Ay, you need to take a chill pill once in a while. Even Xemnas is less of a stick in the mud than you."

Saïx only continued his death glare as Xigbar with a smirk snatched his assignment and promptly left.

The Luna Diviner turned around, two fingers on his temple as he shoved my assignment at me. "You're going with Luxord to a new world today."

Oh joy.

Number X walked in at that precise moment, flipping his cards through his fingers. "Ah yes, indeed Roxas. Our mission together begins now."

This guy was really weird, but can't be any worse than the time I spent with Larxene for one mission.

Arriving in the new world, dubbed 'Wonderland' by the mission brief, the first thing I noticed was a long twisted checkered hallway.

"The game begins. Our hand is set," Luxord said in a low, drawn-out voice, attempting to be cryptic behind his cards. "Our mission is to deal with a Pink Concerto and shadow globs."

"Doubling up on it are we..." I muttered. I took a step forward before I heard a hurried huff above me.

"I'm late! Ohohoho I'm so very late!" Boing! A heavy weight landed on top of my head and launched itself off like I was a springboard. I fell forward on my face to the floor. I looked up and saw a white rabbit scurrying away through a door.

"A rabbit jumped on my head...Highlight of my day." I had enough falling issues trying to get in and out of Namine's room, I didn't need it during missions too.

The world was fuzzy to me for a moment. A guy in red with huge yellow shoes stood before me.

Everything became clear again.

Luxord picked me back up by pulling up on the back of my coat. He looked in the direction of where the rabbit ran off to. "Our lucky rabbit may lead us to our goal. Come along, Number XIII."

I followed after Luxord, hoping he gets jumped instead of me the next time.

We entered a wide room with a table and a tiny—beyond tiny—door on the other side of us. The rabbit ran into a hole, somehow also tiny.

"How did he get so small?" I kneeled down to look at the tiny door with the tiny doorknob. It yawned.

"Must you be so loud?" the doorknob said.

I tilted my head. "Huh? How are you so small?"

The doorknob rolled its eyes with a yawn. "Maybe you're just too big. Try the bottle."

Luxord looked over to the table and eyed two suspicious bottles. One was labeled in blue, the other in red. He picked up the blue bottle and handed it to me. "I believe this is the concoction the particular doorknob spoke of."

I eyed the thing with suspicion. With my luck, I would drink it and a piano would fall on my head. I took a sip.

Everything felt funny. And dizzy. I opened my eyes and found the table was huge. And the table. And the door. I was just as tiny as the rabbit and the doorknob.

I looked up and Luxord was still...Normal? Is that even the word for how strange this place is?

He took a sip of the bottle and just like me he shrunk.

Luxord pointed to the exit the white rabbit fled through. "Come along Roxas we must investigate the strange fellow and find our target."

As we walked Luxord flipped through his cards.

"Why do we have double the targets on this mission?" I said just loud enough for Luxord to say.

The Gambler of Fate put a finger on his chin. "We're short on players if you haven't noticed."

Oh, I definitely did, among other things.

We entered a forest made of lily pads, odd-looking trees, and those tulips were huge. Why did I have the feeling I was once here before? The world was blurry for a moment, and I could have sworn I saw the guy in red right in front of me.

I blinked. The images were gone.

"We're so small we can't really see much of the land beyond," Luxord noted.

I shrugged. "Then we grow right?"

"Hmm... We need the same concoction from the previous room to grow bigger."

"And how exactly do we grow bigger now?" I grumbled. A bright red tulip caught my eye. I walked over to it and it somehow whispered into my ear.

Give me a potion and I will make you bigger.

Good thing I had dozens of those stupid things. I pulled out one and fed it to the tulip and I grew so tall I reached way past the trees of the forest.

Luxord stared at me from by my feet. "My my Roxas! You're brilliant! Now, do you see our target?"

A pink heartless with a striped body floated in the air. There it is. I tapped it in the head with my keyblade and it disappeared without a fuss. That was far too easy.

Now I had a new problem.

"Luxord..." I said, looking down at my feet.

It had occurred to him what the new issue is.

"Ahh right," Luxord walked over to the tulip. "Well then precarious flower, what is your secret to size reduction?" A moment. "A mushroom?" He furrowed his brows and shrugged. "The flower says to eat the underside of a mushroom."

I reached down and plucked a piece out from underneath a mushroom. I tossed the tiny piece into my mouth and I shrank back down to...er normalish size.

Luxord was now taller than me once again. "Well then we shall continue our mission," Luxord said, looking through his cards again. "Shadow globs are the last on our list."

"I didn't see a single one during my time up there," I said.

We walked through the forest and came upon a castle courtyard. The castle in the distance had shadow globs covering every inch of it.

And everything was huge. Why were we so small? I looked up to see a giant hoop over our heads.

"It appears we're the tiny ones in this predicament." Luxord put a hand on his chin as he thought out loud. "How odd the logic of this world is."

"Bring me my ball!" a shrill whiny voice yelled into my ears. I winced back a few steps from how obnoxiously loud that voice was. I looked up to see a woman in an ugly checkered dress with a crown on her head. In her hand was a red heart fan. She set it down and grabbed a flamingo by the legs, holding it upside-down.

"Roxas!" Luxord called out to me, being grabbed by the...Card soldier and put into place by the beak of the queen's flamingo.

Luxord looked up in horror as the queen raised the flamingo up to wack. I panicked and wondered exactly what I could even do. There was a mushroom in the corner of the bushes. I dived for the topside of the mushroom in desperation and took a bite. I grew to normal size and pointed my keyblade at the Queen of Hearts, shooting out a tiny zap of lightning to get her to drop the flamingo.

"Ouch! What fool dare harm me? The Queen of Hearts!" she screeched, clutching her hand as if it were in severe pain.

What a drama queen.

My blood ran cold when her eyes went to me. She raised her heart-shaped fan and screeched even louder than I thought possible. "Attempt of murder and theft! Arrest him!"

Oh crap, wait, what did I even attempt to steal?!

Before I knew it I was inside a cage. Just great. I summoned Kingdom Key to my grip and tried tapping it on the bars, but it was super sturdy. That or I lacked the strength to just simply bisect this dumb cage.

I looked up at the Queen yelling at her guards to set up some device called the guillotine. I wasn't sure what that was but it didn't sound good. In the distance was her castle, covered in shadow globs. The darkness radiating off the Queen of Hearts was probably a homing beacon to the shadow globs.

Kingdom Key jerked in my grip, pulling me forward towards the lock. A beam of light shot out, unlocking the cage door. Well, that was easy.

Key. Blade. Wow, I was an idiot.

I pushed the cage door open but all the cards pointed their spears at me.

I was ready to fight them all off when a loud, loud rumble shook the ground. The cards fell over on themselves, allowing me to run out of the cage.

Luxord was enormous. He had to be at least 30 feet tall, probably even more. Just how much grow mushroom did he eat?

The Queen of Hearts ducked down behind her throne, cowering behind her fan.

Two Heartless appeared in front of me, flipping fire in their long card like limbs. Great more surprised.

Luxord leaned down and plucked them from the ground and folded them in, presenting them to me in a neat little package. "Here, Roxas, collect their hearts."

I quirked an eyebrow as I stabbed them in the face. Their bodies faded and the hearts flew into the sky.

"I tried several mushrooms to see what would happen," Luxord simply explained, his voice booming across the courtyard.

It took all of my willpower to not lift my palm to my forehead. "So much for putting in effort into my work..."

"Now," Luxord turned to the castle. "To dispose of this." He picked up the dark castle and crushed it into a ball. He placed it down in front of me. "Destroy it with your keyblade Roxas!"

With a roll of my eyes, I lifted Kingdom Key up and slashed at the blob of shadow.

The Queen looked up from her hiding spot to see her precious castle crushed before her eyes. There was nothing left of the building once I dashed the last bit of the blob.

She sat there, crying over her castle. Her screeches turned into whines, which wasn't much of an improvement.

"O-Off with their heads! My castle! Waaah!" She rained down many tears, so much so that the White Rabbit had to get an umbrella.

Luxord reached his finger down to wipe away her tears. "Don't cry, madam." With a snap of his free hand, a new castle made of cards formed in the place where the old castle was. "I'm weak against the tears of a lady. If you like, use this to shelter yourself from wind and rain."

The Queen stared at the castle of cards, hearts in her eyes.

"Come along Roxas we much RTC," Luxord said, making his way to the dark corridor.

A voice behind me startled me out of my skin.

"Ohoho quite an ending indeed."

I whipped around and saw a floating purple cat. It smirked as it spoke more. "What a pitiful queen. To have her heart stolen by another who has none."

I tucked my hood over my head. "Her heart was stolen?"

The cat danced onto its other foot as if it was standing on an invisible platform. "Oh you too, lack one, supposedly. A stolen heart yes. Kindness beyond measure wins the hearts of many. A certainly great stratagem from beings like you."

"But..." I protested that sentiment. "I don't do nice things to get something out of it."

The cat disappeared.

I caught up to Luxord at the portal. I crossed my arms at him. "Saïx won't let you back into the castle-like that you know."

He flipped his cards in his fingers. "Fine. You're so uptight for someone with the keyblade."

On our way back, with Luxord a normal size. He inspected our report. "Well well, this mission was a great success wouldn't you say?"

Weirdest mission more like. I shrugged with an indifferent "yes."

"We were in luck that we followed that white rabbit. Your curious mind led us to our goals," he said. "It carved your fate."

Ah right back to the weird metaphors for existence. "Eh? It was just pure chance," I said.

"Gamblers are predictors of 'chance.' You're a gambler in the making, but mark my words, curiosity will carve the path to your fate, but it can also bring about the prelude to certain doom."

* * *

Axel was already at the clock tower. "Heh. I heard you had fun in your mission," he remarked, looking at my still-bewildered face. I sat down with an ice cream in hand.

"Is that what they call it?" I asked, taking a bite of my ice cream.

"Saïx is having one heck of a time trying to figure out half the report," Axel leaned back, arms behind his head.

How else would one even remotely describe the talking cat and the walking cards? "Uhh, yeah, I don't blame him."

Something burned at my mind, even as I watched the sunset.

"Hey, Axel," I said. "How does one, 'steal a heart?'"

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Someone said that a heart was stolen. Like, did Heartless steal it? Or was it something else?"

Axel sat back up. "Well um, it's a figure of speech. It means uh, wowing someone so much they're head over heels or something for the person. Imagine having your breath stolen and leaving you speechless because of an act or just even standing there."

"That sounds...Weird," I said.

He shook his head. "You have no idea..."

I stood up, desiring to sneak off and spend some time with Naminéfor the first time in weeks. "I need to leave before it's too late in the day."

"Oh?"

"I got stuff to do. I like to take a stroll around town. Got bored while you were gone," I said, my half-truth hopefully slipping out without a hitch.

Axel nodded. "Well then, see ya later, man."

I walked through the town and arrived in front of the mansion. Fuzzy images returned to my vision. It was the guy in red again, but in front of him was Vexen baring his own shield.

The image was gone.

I climbed up the wall and only managed to fall on my face/back a total of 3 times. I stumbled into Namine's room and she looked up from her sketchbook so startled by my sudden appearance.

I swallowed. "H-Hi Naminé."

It took her a moment before she spoke to me. "Hello, Roxas. I um...I didn't expect you."

I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah I uh, wasn't able to uh, find the time until now."

"Oh. Right. The Organization takes priority." She put a hand over her mouth as soon as she realized what she had said. "I-I mean..."

My heads reached up to remove my hood. "It's okay. So you know of the Organization?"

"I don't know how she got out. In there one minute, gone the next."

She nodded. "I was... Working under them once." She pleaded to me with just her glistening eyes. It was a silent favor being asked.

Don't tell them about her whereabouts. "That's fine, Naminé," I said, trying to break the awkwardness. A smile curled up on my lips. "I won't go telling them about you if you don't want me to."

Relief washed over her face. Her tight shoulders relaxed. She also smiled, standing up and putting her sketchbook down. Her hands hugged herself. "Thank you, Roxas."

Her standing there in her dress, her hair swaying with each movement, somehow it moved me in ways I couldn't convey in words.

My breath was stopped short. Wow.

"So, Roxas, how was your day?" she asked me, breaking me out of my daze.

Oh crap, she's trying to talk to me about other things. "Uh, weird to be honest," I forced my mouth to spit out. "To go into all the details, I'm not even sure the Organization even believes me."

She sat down again, sketchbook in one hand, pencil in the other. "Well then, I've got time if you do."

I pulled up a chair to sit next to her. "It started with a white rabbit falling on my head."

"As all white rabbits do," she said, a hint of amusement in her tone. She was trying to fight a smile and failing.

"Then," I said, "I saw a guy in red with these huge, and I mean huge yellow shoes. Like he wore bananas on his feet."

Naminé didn't laugh. I panicked. Her pencil dropped on top of her sketchbook.

"W-What? A person in red?" she said.

Oh crap. "Y-Yeah?"

She tilted her head at me, analyzing me, looking at my hair, then to my face, and stared deeply into my eyes.

"I knew it," she mumbled.

"Huh?" I was so confused right now.

"The boy's name is Sora," Naminé simply said. "You and he are connected."

What? "Whoa, okay um, back up," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "That's Sora?"

She nodded. "The boy in red? Impossibly spikey hair? Yes, that's him."

"And we're connected?" Now that I thought about it, my dream from last night, that impossibly real dream, it was from Sora's point of view. My dream put me into his shoes. "Huh."

"And you're seeing images of him, right?" Naminéasked. "How very strange."

I sat back in my seat, my hand still resting on her shoulder. "Yeah...Very strange."

Naminé picked up her pencil. "So, continue?"

I was all too happy to tell her about my misadventures in Wonderland. My brain was overloaded with questions about Sora that I couldn't quite ask yet.

Who was Sora? Why was I connected to him? Why is it I was seeing him in my world view? And more importantly, what were those dreams?

* * *

Two kids sat on the ground in a cave. White drawings covered the rocks. I looked over the two kids to see them drawing the other. One with impossibly spikey hair and the other with long locks flowing down her head.

The kids disappeared, but my hand, wearing a white glove, reached out to the drawing with a thick piece of a stick and began drawing a star with a hand.

I stepped back and I noticed the girl with red locks again. "K—i!" I called out to her, not in my own voice.

She turned around, looking weak and ready to fall over. "Sora."

The door opened and she was blasted towards me. Before I could even catch her she simply disappeared.

My eyes snapped open. Sweat dripped off my forehead. I had to get out of this coat, now. I tossed it off and opened my window for some air. My breathing slowed as I thought about my dreams.

Sora and I were connected, somehow. Naminéknows that we are connected. I wonder if she ever met Sora. I cannot help but wonder if the Organization knows as well.

But was I truly even ready to ask these questions? I dreaded in my gut to know the answers I am dying to know if that conversation between Saïx and Axel is any indication of my dread.

* * *

_Secret Report 04_

That Roxas kid sure has a lot on his plate as the only keyblade wielder in our ranks. I bet Saïx will pile on even more missions onto his plate as time goes on.

The game is set and matched. Roxas has his hand, Xemnas has his. Now all I can do is watch and wait, knowing that I am merely the audience left out of the loop. Saïx knows about Castle Oblivion. As does Axel, but good luck to any person trying to worm those details out of them. I have a distinct feeling Xigbar knows as well, but he dodges questions with a very clever poker face.

Oh well. Perhaps this player in the game has run out his hand and can only wait for the end results.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for reading this! Next chapter will be before the next Lines In-Between chapter. :3

Haxorus Knight: Xion will show up around chapter 7 or so. She'll get her own story in due time.

Q-A the Authoress: Thank you! Roxas maybe more edgy but he's still a dork around his lady haha XD.


	5. Chapter V: Sacred Moon

_Chapter V: Scared Moon_

_We all have enough but steal from each other; chasing the shadow of love._

* * *

"Do you want to talk about..." she twiddled her thumbs. I finished my mission early that afternoon.

I held up a hand to stop her. "No, no thanks, Naminé."

She picked up her pencil with not a single hint of frustration. "That's okay. Can you tell me what to draw next?"

I was content to sit there watching her draw the dark sky of the World that Never Was. That was the day after I was told who the guy in red was.

It has been over a month since Naminé told me about Sora now.

Sora, Sora, Sora.

I didn't want to know about my connection to him anymore. I feared more than anything, what Naminé's answer would be. Luxord's words were like a gnawing gnat on my brain.

_"Curiosity will carve the path to your fate, but it can also bring about the prelude to certain doom."_

Shut up brain.

I tossed around in my bed. Knowing, even just knowing that Saïx was after Naminé, that put her at risk. But I couldn't just drop her forever. My chest squeezed tight every time I thought of doing that.

The morning started like any other, only this time Xaldin was baffled about his orders. "You want me to do what?" he grumbled.

Saïx glared at him. "Are you questioning your orders?"

Xaldin glared right back and left through a corridor.

Saïx presented me with a look of indifference as per usual, then he pointed his finger at Demyx lazying on the couch. "You will be investigating a new world today with Demyx, along with collecting hearts."

Always the same, collecting more and more hearts.

I looked past Saïx's tallness to see Demyx staring at me with wide eyes. I tucked my hood over my head, my brows furrowed in annoyance already.

Demyx visibly swallowed. "Heya Roxas."

* * *

The two of us stepped out of a dark corridor to a bright golden place. Giant statues of buff guys stood with spears and shields in their hands. They seemed to be overlooking a bunch of large doors.

"Man the sun is bright and obnoxious," Demyx whined. "Still better than that Agrabah place though."

No kidding. "We're doing recon, right?"

Demyx nodded. "Yep."

I walked forward two steps and Heartless appeared before us. Demyx whipped out his sitar and began playing. Before I could even yell at him to stop slacking off the Heartless were launched into the air by pillars of water.

So maybe there was more to Demyx than I thought.

He stood there, playing his sitar as if nothing happened.

"Better watch out for the Heartless," he said, totally feigning lack of awareness of the Heartless he just blasted sky-high.

I shrugged and began walking closer to the statues to observe them farther.

"This place looks like tough people show here," I said, noticing a lot of detail on the statues' muscles.

"Ugh reminds me of the gym which means sweating which means gross," Demyx whined. "I will sit that out thanks."

I rolled my eyes, reaching out to the door to pull on the large circular handle only for it to move. I was frozen on the spot, staring with wide eyes as a short goat-man stepped out.

"Hey hey! You must be the newbie. I gotta tell ya, you're a lot smaller and thinner than I thought ya would be," the goat-man said.

I wasn't sure to be insulted or flattered. Insulted because that must mean I am a wimp to the common eye—including the Organization no doubt—or flattered because I had an advantage of speed.

"Um uh..." I scratched the back of my head. I looked to my right and Demyx was gone. Great. "Thanks?"

I was gonna be in trouble for sure. I couldn't get caught easily by other people like this.

"Oh right. Name's Phil," the goat man said. He turned around and marched back inside. "Come on in, we'll discuss the nitty-gritty."

It's not like I had an option to just leave. But if I could learn more about this place, might as well.

I walked inside. A warm room with trophies decorating the walls greeted me.

"What's your name kid?" Phil asked me, a piece of paper and own in his hands.

"Uh."

_Do you remember your true name?_

"Roxas," I said.

"Interesting name. So have you ever run the gauntlet before, Roxas?"

"The what?"

"I see, very much a rookie. Alright then. We'll start off your training nice and easy." Phil walked out of the small room and into a wide arena. No one sat in the stands, but somehow I felt we were being watched by an audience anyways.

"The rules are simple. Some small fry heartless are in those barrels, some are not. Get rid of them by any means. Show me what you can do, kid."

Small fry? That's it? I shrugged and walked into the arena full of barrels and summoned my keyblade. I tapped a barrel with the tip and a bat-hook Heartless popped out. Without even breaking a sweat I tapped it again and it disappeared.

I looked over at Phil. "Got anything stronger?"

Phil crossed his arms. "Alright alright, smart aleck. You want tougher, hit more barrels."

I tossed my keyblade at a row of barrels. More heartless popped out, but not just hook bats this time. Instead, it was a barrage of crimson fires. They launched balls of fire at me. I dodged with ease. I even managed to launch some of them right back with my keyblade. I threw some ice crystals at them and they disappeared, hearts vanishing into thin air.

Phil stroked his beard. "Not bad kid, not bad."

I felt...What was it? Prideful? At his comment.

Phil lifted up new barrels for me to bash in. More and more Heartless popped out and I slew them.

Eventually, however, it was getting harder and harder to keep up. Simple small fry heartless was becoming more and more difficult to destroy. It took more and more effort to get rid of one after another.

Eventually, I collapsed on my butt, keyblade falling out of my grip. I gasped for air.

"You got strength kid but lack stamina," Phil said. "A hero should be able to go for longer than a few rounds against small fry."

"A...H-Hero?" I breathed out.

"Yeah. Hero training is serious business; requires more than just strength alone."

At that moment, a Heartless Meteorite appeared. Figures.

Phil nearly jumped out of his skin. "Run kid! That Heartless is huge! I will get Herc!" He ran out of the arena.

I grabbed my keyblade, pushing myself back up to stand. The Meteorite began spinning right at me. It pushed me back, clinging against my keyblade.

What could I give for a nap right now. I held my stance against the spinning Heartless. It just kept going and going.

It finally spun itself into dizziness. I charged, with much effort, at the Heartless. Its head on the very top of its spiked body looked up to see me bash it in with my keyblade. I wailed at it until it shook and shuttered. A heart burst forth from its body into the unknown.

Sweat dripped off my forehead, making my bangs stick to my face. I totally needed a bad hair day.

The fuzzy images of Sora plagued my vision. He whipped around his keyblade, resting it on his shoulder with triumph.

I should leave before anything else happens. Moving out of the coliseum, I rested against the wall next to where our dark corridor opened up.

Demyx walked over, sitar in his hands like nothing happened. "So how'd it go Roxas?" he asked nonchalantly.

I glared at him, making him stop strumming. "I found more Heartless." I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Along with information, that you get to write down in our report." I opened a dark corridor. "I'm too tired to do so."

Demyx swallowed. "What am I writing?" he said, following me back to the castle.

"This is a place where heroes train, and I can get into the arena if I want. Might be useful for Heartless extermination or something," I said, still feeling the ache in my muscles.

The visions of Sora back there...Sora had once trained under Phil before. He competed in tournaments, surely. Maybe all the trophies in that room, one of them might have his name on them. Sora had been to all these worlds now that I thought about it. His presence in my dreams in various places, they were all from worlds I had been to, and then some.

When we returned, Demyx sat down to write the report with a pout. I dragged myself to my room and laid down on my bed.

I couldn't just hide from the truth anymore. I just couldn't.

I was exhausted from today's training, but I needed to talk to Naminé. Not that I wanted to just for information, but because she was always...Somehow comforting to talk to.

A good friend through and through.

Of course, I also had to go meet Axel at the clock tower before I worried him.

I dragged myself off my bed and slumped over to Twilight Town. I thought about Sora again, and Naminé. Sora. Naminé.

"Hey Axel," I asked. "Can you tell me about what you remember from before you were a Nobody?"

Axel's eyes widened, he choked on his ice cream and coughed a little. "Um, well. The person you see before you? Yeah just imagine me but without the coat and the tats."

Trying to picture him without the tattoos under his eyes was impossible. "Really?"

"Yeah. Sometimes people don't really change all that much. Some people..." Axel took the popsicle stick out of his mouth. "However, do."

"Do you think I've changed since before I was a Nobody?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "With how much of a zombie you were months ago? Yeah, I'd say you have."

"How?"

"Well, you have no memories right? That makes you special. You developed your own sense of self if that makes sense." Axel leaned back against the clock, looking at the sunset. "Once you're whole, you'll be a completely different person from who you once were."

That wasn't terrifying to think about. "It would be nice to know who I was before I became a Nobody..."

Axel placed a hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes Roxas, it's best not knowing. You might not like what you see, now that you're different."

He was right. I didn't really want to know, deep down. I knew that Sora was connected to me, to my past, somehow. But what if I didn't like what I saw? I avoided talking about it with Naminé for so long.

Perhaps it was best I didn't ask. I didn't want to know anymore.

I went to the mansion and only stumbled once thanks to my fatigue.

Naminé continued on with her drawings as per usual. "How was your mission today? You look tired," she asked in a gentle yet concerned tone. She reached out to my cheek and brushed her palm over it. "You're hot to the touch."

I nodded, feeling how soft her dainty hands were. "I'm fine Naminé. I got a training session from a weird goat-man today."

She pulled her hand away and laughed. A full-on laugh, like a string of musical notes. "A weird goat-man tired you out?"

I put up my hands in defense. "Hey he made me bash countless Heartless in until I dropped, then another large one appeared and Demyx was off being lazy so I had to get rid of that too!"

She had a cheeky grin on her soft lips. "Poor Roxas needs a nap?"

I leaned on her shoulder, my cheek against her silky locks. "Need an extended nap. Nap all day if I must."

She continued drawing, not even showing signs of discomfort of me invading her personal space. She drew me in my black coat, sleeping in a wide area of sand under the stars.

"What's that?" I asked. "Where am I?"

"It's the beach," she said. "There's sand and the ocean and the sky is vast and wide, not obscured by anything..."

"It sounds fun..." I muttered with a yawn. "I'd like to go there someday. Will you go with me?" And I would bring Axel too along.

She turned her head to face me as best as possible. "Me?"

"Yeah. You're my friend right? Isn't the beach better with friends?" I asked.

The smile came back to her lips, but this time softer and more sincere. "Yes...Yes, it is."

* * *

I dreamed. And dreamed.

_"Give me a break K—i!"_ I said, trying to defend myself, sitting up on my knees in the white sand of the beach.

_"Sora you lazy bum, I knew I would find you snoozing down here."_

* * *

_Secret Report 05_

Xemnas really insists on me finding this dumb chamber, isn't he? He'll send me away after our vacation day to Castle Oblivion to find it. Blegh, I get one day of nothing but naps and then immediately back to work.

Talking to Roxas reminded me of the good ol' days before I became...Whatever I am currently. I still feel like myself, right? I can talk to Roxas more and more about it if he asks, but the kid isn't exactly a chatterbox. Funny how Sora talked a lot yet his Nobody is quieter. I at least can confide some of my old memories in him. Not to Saïx.

Saïx says I have changed, but I don't believe that for a second. He is nothing like my best friend anymore. Heh, Roxas was like Isa in a way, quiet, sometimes a smart-aleck.

I'm still Lea, in a way. Saïx has nothing in common with Isa.

You're the one who changed.

* * *

Q-A the Authoress: Ahh yes that report and all its card puns made my day haha. Thank you for reviewing and reading!

Now back to hopefully more updates to this fic before I return to _Lines In-Between_.


	6. Chapter VI: Friends in My Heart

_Chapter VI: Friends in My Heart_

_I no longer see the point of pretending to be tough or being greedy._

* * *

_"Take this," the girl with red hair said, placing a star-shaped charm in my hand. "It's my lucky charm, be sure to bring it back to me," she said with a stern tone._

_I closed my fingers over it. "Don't worry, I will."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise."_

_She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."_

I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. Only the dull gray of the ceiling greeted me. Another dream. I was Sora again, talking to a red-haired girl once again. What was even her name?

This was too confusing. I pulled the blanket over me and tried to go back to sleep with much effort. It didn't work.

* * *

Bags lingered underneath my eyes as I took heavy steps through the Grey Area. Saïx handed me another mission, this time, another recon. It's been a month since I did a recon, but I've come to dread it. More visions of Sora's life? Pass. I was sick of them.

"Really? Another recon?" I yawned. Great, more visions of Sora.

"Yes. If you're not up to the task then you will do two missions tomorrow," Saïx said with an icy tone.

I looked him in the eye, tired enough that I didn't care anymore. "Every time I go to a new world I see a guy in red. Know anything about that?"

What was I saying?

Saïx didn't even flinch a centimeter as he flipped through my old recon reports. "No, other than the fact that it is not normal."

What kind of an answer was that?

"Right..." I muttered.

He handed me another mission. "There is a matter of a large Heartless in Olympus. Go participate in their training and find them."

More training, yay.

Arriving in Olympus alone, I walked into the small room where Phil was shining a trophy. He turned around and the fuzzy vision of Sora in front of me returned.

"Kid! You're back! I thought the Heartless got ya but I guess you took it out eh?" Phil asked.

I nodded. "You could say that."

"You're got a lot more underneath your size and strength than you appear to have, kid, if you were still able to take out that giant thing. How's about some training? You don't look so good but maybe it will help you feel better?"

"Uhh, sure?"

He shoved me into the arena and tossed barrels at me to bash in. I mustered up my strength to hit every single one, and then I unleashed a barrage of thunder in a wide circular area around me, blasting the barrels and occurring Heartless to bits.

"Hmm, even with fatigue you're doing better and better kid. That's enough training for today, go get some rest," Phil said, sweeping up the barrels with a broom.

The giant Heartless was still here somewhere though. "Come on, Phil," I begged. "One more round."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Alright then eager beaver. I need more equipment first. Be right back."

I leaned against a pillar, resting my keyblade arm.

Lo and behold, the Heartless appeared. This one was even bigger than the meteorite. It was a Large Body covered in armor, but this guy made regular Large Bodies look like wimpy shadows in comparison. I twirled Kingdom Key in my hand, moving off my spot against the pillar. "Alright buddy, I'm tired and I have places to be."

It leaped into the air, its fist raised and ready to squash me flat. I rolled out of the way as it came flying down. It unleashed a shockwave that shoved me back. I raised my keyblade as it swung its fists. Clang! Cling! Bing! With each hit he was making my stance uneasy. I gritted my teeth. Scanning its entire body, I realized the only opening was its tiny head. Great. I needed a distraction.

It jumped up into the air again. I began running, as you always do.

"What can even distract this thing?!" I said out loud, looking back to avoid his shock wave. "Gah, I wish Saïx sent someone with me."

My liege, you need assistance?

"Huh?" I turned right around, putting my keyblade up as the Heartless was about to crush me with its fists.

_Slice!_

I had squeezed my eyes shut without thinking. I opened them to see a familiar blue-steel Nobody with a sword brandished. It froze the Large Armoured Body in mid-air. The Samurai took its other sword and sliced through it, making it shake and fall backward onto its back.

Other samurais appeared swords out, and bowed to me, standing in a circle around me. I jumped up onto the flailing body, steadied myself, and wacked at the head. I stabbed Kingdom Key right into its neck. Its mouth fell open and its body shook beneath my feet. I backflipped off of it to witness the body fading and the Heartless disappeared.

With another bow, the Samurai Nobodies disappeared.

Phil came back with a barrel in his hands and saw me with my hands on my knees, breathing heavily. "Whoa kid, what happened?"

"Heart...Less," I wheezed out.

"Sounds like a big one too. You should get on home, kid, can't have you passing out on me."

Fine by me, my mission was complete.

Time to go talk with Axel and see Naminé.

* * *

Axel wasn't at the clock tower today so I went straight to the mansion. I climbed through her window again, tripping and falling over my coat. "H-Hey Naminé," I spoke with my words muffled by the floor.

Naminé got up from her usual spot and helped me up. "Roxas! You okay?"

"Just...Really tired," I explained. My face felt hot with her arms around my own arm, trying to pull me up. "But I had to see you."

"You..." Her face was pink. "You had to see me?"

"I can't go a day without my dosage of Naminé," I said with a laugh. I was now standing straight. "What drawing are you doing today?"

She walked over and picked up her sketchbook to present to me. "Just a charm made of thalassa shells."

It was exactly like the one in my dreams, face and all. "Oh?" I looked at it in awe. It felt familiar in a different way. Like, I had this in my possession somehow. "What does it do?"

"It's a symbol of an important promise. It's also used for good luck among sailors," she explained, grabbing a colored pencil and adding in the blue feather at the base of the chain.

"A promise?" I said, swallowing with a dry throat. Just like the dream. "To?"

She looked up into my eyes with sadness. "To always be together no matter what."

"Oh." I sat down in a chair next to her. "That sounds..."

"Sappy?"

I laughed. "No, I-I mean yes, but...It sounds nice." Nice? Really? "I don't know why but it's nice to know you've always got someone with you."

"So you're not alone," we both said in unison, completely by accident.

Naminé's cheeks were even pinker as she looked away. "I've always been alone. I'm ashamed to admit that I did some things to get rid of the loneliness, but it never goes away, it just isolates you more," she said.

I reached out to her free hand with a sincere smile. "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore Naminé, because I will be there to make sure you're not lonely."

She turned in her chair to face me. A single tear slipped down her cheek. Her smile matched mine. "Thank you, Roxas."

The tear dripped off her cheek and onto the sketchbook. It shimmered as it made contact with the drawing of the thalassa charm. It formed into something larger. Both of us stared in awe as the light faded and a yellow star was in its place.

"It's..." Naminé said with a gasp. "It's my good-luck charm."

A chain formed off of one of the tips, falling off the sketchbook and hung over the floor. She picked it up with her fingers, feeling the smooth-looking texture with her thumb. "It's real."

"What are you going to do with it, Naminé?" I asked, head tilted as I kept my gaze on her wondrous expression. She looked so...cute to me.

She bit her lip in thought. "Hmmm..." She looked down at her sketchbook, then up at me. "I want you to have it, Roxas."

"Wha? Me?"

She nodded. I extended my hand and she placed it in my palm. "For good luck. It will hopefully protect you when you need it," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Naminé."

* * *

Returning to The Castle That Never Was, immediately something was up.

Xemnas was waiting for me. "Hello, Number XIII," he greeted me with indifference. "Come."

He walked out of the Grey Area, I followed after. My pulse quickened as I thought about why Xemnas was speaking to me all of a sudden. Where was he taking me? Was this about the Samurais?

I was led to a room with a single lamp over a steel grey table.

"Take a seat," he gestured to a chair.

I sat down. "Why am I here, exactly?"

Xemnas sat down across from me, his arms folded. "I was informed by Number VII that you mentioned something peculiar."

Oh, right, that. "Uh yeah?" I said.

"You're seeing visions of a boy in red? Do you know who he is?"

I shrugged. "Only that his name is Sora."

He closed his eyes. "Is that all?"

I nodded. "Yes." Perhaps I could be a little bit bold. "Who is Sora?"

"He," he said slowly, drawing out every syllable, "is the connection."

That's it? Naminé gave me more substance than that.

_You and him are connected._

Xemnas's golden-orange eyes inspected me. "You're free to go."

I got up and walked out of the room. So they knew, they know about Sora, just like Naminé does. Why is it everyone but me knows? Was this Sora so truly important?

Reaching into my pocket, I brushed my gloved fingers over the smooth surface of the lucky charm. It was a comfort to me to have a part of Naminé with me, even when I'm away from her.

I rested well for the first time in a long while.

* * *

A week has passed since I began sleeping well. Perhaps Naminé's good-luck charm was indeed as lucky as it sounded. I had to admit, Naminé's power to prevent my lack of sleep was amazing. Just like she is.

I walked into the Grey Area as per usual, but no one was there, not even Saïx. All that was there was a sign on the glass windows

OPERATIONS CLOSED FOR VACATION.

What's a vacation? I turned around and walked out of the Grey Area. I aimlessly wandered around the castle, trying to find someone to ask questions. While out on the deck overlooking the city, I bumped into Axel.

"Hey Roxas," he greeted me. "You got plans for your vacation? It's about time we had a day off."

I stared at him blankly. "I've never had one before."

"Oh, is that so? It's when you're free to do whatever you want. There is no mission to do."

I tilted my head. "No mission? Really?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"What are you going to do?"

"Me? Sleep. And when I am done with that, roll over and sleep some more."

I raised an eyebrow. An entire day sleeping sounded like torture to me, even with my newfound good-luck charm. "Don't you spend enough time sleeping?"

"You kidding? I'd nap six times a day if they let me," Axel proclaimed a bit too proudly. "Snooze land is calling. Enjoy your day off."

What could I even do? I highly doubt Naminé would want me all day looking over her shoulder. Maybe I should just explore Twilight Town.

Walking around the place, I never noticed some things. How the buildings were just tall enough in some places to see the sunset; or how trains operated everywhere. The fact it was on a slope made it easier to see the sunset from your window.

I found myself in a sandlot. Benches lined the outside of the space. At the center of it were three teenagers that looked similar in age to me. One was a girl in orange, another was a guy in a red jersey, and the other was a guy in green, sitting on the ground.

"You almost beat your record Hayner," the guy in the red shirt said.

"Yeah you did," the girl in orange added.

The guy—Hayner, got up, shaking out his arm. "I was so close that time too."

One of them noticed that I was watching. The one in the red shirt turned around. "Oh, hey," he said to me. He walked over, and I was too curious to run away.

"Uh, hi?" I answered lamely.

"I'm Pence. I've seen you around town sometimes."

The girl walked over. "Friend of yours Pence?"

"No, but I've seen him around."

She waved at me. "My name is Olette. What's your name?"

I lifted my hand up to push my hood off. "I'm Roxas."

"Nice to meet you, Roxas."

I looked at Hayner. "What are you guys doing?"

"Watching Hayner practice his Grandstander Act. He's one the best in town," Olette explained.

Pence nodded. "Yeah, you hit the ball into the air and try to keep it there for as long as you can."

Hayner narrowed his eyes at me and walked over with his arms crossed. "You new around here? How come you're bothering us?"

Excuse me, what? "Excuse me, what did you just say to me?" I said, responding to his glare in kind. "I'm just minding my own business and passing through."

He turned his nose up at me. I was tempted to put my hood back at him just to intimate him. "Uh-huh. Well, keep on passing through then. We're busy here."

Olette slugged him in the arm. "Hayner! No need to be rude."

He winced, though I am sure her slug to his arm barely made a dent. "Fine," he kept his glare at me. "Then, show us your juggling act."

I raised an eyebrow, as did Olette and Pence. "Uh, sure I guess."

Olette shook her head at Hayner. "What will that prove?"

Hayner waved his bat in his hand around. "It's not going to kill him!"

Pence sighed. "Sorry about this, he didn't mean to offend you...I hope you've got good arm-swinging skills though."

Olette sighed. I walked forward and grabbed the bat out of Hayner's hand. Hmm, lighter than the Keyblade. I felt a bit cocky so I tossed it into my left-hand, my less-dominant hand.

The ball rested where Hayner first fell on the ground. I swiped at it and launched it into the air. I leaped up to meet it and launched it even farther into the air. Then I hit it again, and again. I was reaching rather high so I let myself free fall, backflipping halfway. This was far too easy. When it threatened to reach the ground I spun around and hit it again. I tossed the bat at the ball hovering in mid-air, smacking it forward and upwards. I caught the bat in time to hit the ball once more. I swapped to my dominant hand and smacked it even farther, zooming in close in the air to hit it again.

Once I drew bored of the ball, I stopped, landing on the ground with not even a struggle and walked away, letting it hit the ground. I handed the bat to Hayner. "How's that for juggling?"

He had no words, his mouth was gaping open. Olette and Pence were in awe with him.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Pence complimented.

Olette nodded. "Yeah, you did it with a lot of style."

Even though I was mostly just trying to show off against Hayner, I still felt a blush on my cheeks. "Thanks." I scratched the back of my head.

Hayner finally closed his mouth before flies flew in. "Not bad at all. You're pretty tough looking. Mind showing me some of those tricks some time."

I grinned brightly. "Sure." The chime of the clocktower reminded me of something very important. "Oh," I said. "I have to go. There's somewhere I'd like to be shortly. It was nice meeting you guys." I waved to them. "Hayner, Pence, Olette."

The three of them waved back. "See you later," said Olette.

"Next time I will beat your record," Hayner said with a cheeky grin.

Pence nodded. "It was nice meeting ya!"

I turned away, walking out of the sandlot, pulling my hood over my head. I wished I could be like them. They seemed carefree and didn't have to worry about lacking a heart because they had hearts. They didn't have to stay hidden. They didn't have to worry about friends. They didn't have to hide their friends.

Something in my chest squeezed. What...Was this? Why was my chest tight? I shook my head at myself. I'm just being silly.

I climbed back into the mansion. Sitting there as always, was Naminé. This time though, she was drawing...Sora. And me. Blegh. I didn't even want to look at it in detail.

"Hello Roxas, you're early today," she greeted me, a smile upon her lips. "Mission go well?"

My chest squeezed even tighter, my stomach lurched. "It's Vacation Day. No mission." I sat down next to her. "Say, Naminé."

"Hmm?" she responded to me, still coloring in my coat with a black pencil.

"You knew Sora, right?"

She stalled in her stroke of the pencil. Silence overtook us for a minute before she answered my question. "Yes."

"How did you meet him?" I added.

Her eyes glistened in the soft light of the room. She looked away and my gut sunk. "I..."

I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. You don't have to tell me everything," I said.

A smile graced her lips. With a sniffle, she wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Roxas."

Bam! The entire mansion shook. I grabbed onto Naminé, my arms wrapped around her protectively. "What was that?!" I exclaimed.

The ground outside shook again. I let her go to look outside her window and a giant tailed Heartless lizard thing was in front of the gate to the mansion. How did a Heartless even get this close to the mansion?

I summoned Kingdom Key and leaped out the window. I landed fine on my feet in the courtyard, and then ran up the wall and over. The Heartless was suddenly gone from my view, but I could still hear its footsteps.

Something knocked me over. I caught myself in time to get back up fast. Its tail swayed with every movement. I charged at it, aiming for the eyes of the lizard. Its claws slapped me out of the air, and then its tail sent me flipping backward for good measure.

I skidded across the grass and landed on my side. Pushing myself up with my keyblade, I charged again. It raised its claw again but I blocked it. Unfortunately, its other claw hit my backside and knocked me over. The tail whipped around. I went flying into the wall and landed on my stomach.

A soft _cling_. The good-luck charm fell out of my pocket and in front of me.

I refused to let this thing hurt Naminé!

I reached out with my hand to grab the lucky charm. "Leave...Naminé...Alone!" I grunted, pushing myself back up.

The star in my grip shimmered. It changed before my very eyes in a blinding light.

It was another keyblade, this one made with two necks and the teeth looked like a bladed star. The keychain was Naminé's charm.

Two! Two keyblades instead of just one. I stood my ground at the yet-again invisible enemy. "I will not yield!"

It revealed itself again. I held up one keyblade while I used the other in preparation. It swiped its tail at me again. It finished spinning around and I bashed it in its eye. It recoiled. I leaped up, send out an arc of light at its other eye. It put its claws up in pain. I flipped forward and stabbed both keyblades into its back.

The Heartless shuttered and shook as its body faded and the heart left its body into the unknown.

I lifted up my new keyblade to inspect the keychain. Naminé's power made me stronger.

I was stronger with her. I smiled.

"Roxas!" Naminé called out to me from her window. I ran up the wall and jumped back over, walking closer to her window to climb back in. "Hide!" She waved her arms about.

"Uh okay!" I panicked, looking around on where to go. I dove into the bushes underneath her window.

A very, very deep voice carried outside the window. "Naminé! What happened?"

"A Heartless appeared," she said. I could hear the unsteadiness of her voice. "It was on the roof of the mansion. I saw it disappear and stalk off."

"Hmm, if it's gone we'll have to see if it returns. I will probably check in the woods and town to see if it's running amok. You okay?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm just shaken."

A moment passed. It seems the man left. Naminé peered out her window and waved to me. "You okay Roxas?"

I stepped out, twigs in my hair and hoodie. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She said, "You should get going before you're seen. Sorry."

I nodded. "It's fine. I will always come back," I said with a smile.

* * *

I was sitting on the clocktower, eating an ice cream when Axel came to join me.

"How was your nap?" I asked him.

He stretched his arms and his back. "Slept like a log." Sitting out, he took a wrapper off a sea-salt ice cream and took a bite. Something down below caught his eye. It was Hayner and Olette chasing Pence around, who had an ice cream in his hand. "Are the kids already on summer vacation already? Nah it can't be, it's too early."

I tilted my head. "Summer vacation? What's that?"

"It's a dream come true that's what," he explained with an unneeded dramatic effect. "An entire month off."

"What...? A month? I can't even figure out how to fill an entire day."

"Heh, trust me, they give you plenty of homework and you have to hang out with your friends every day."

But I already do that now. Darn that Heartless for cutting my trip to Naminé's short. "Hmm..." I thought to myself. "I can do with 7 days maybe."

"Most of the time they put off the homework until the end, spending their vacation goofing off with their friends. It is fun..." Axel paused mid-sentence for a moment and then continued. "I've forgotten about that since I became a Nobody."

"Is life truly that different without a heart?"

"Mmhmm, you spend your whole life with a heart and suddenly life is upside down. No emotions, no feelings. It makes you act differently, and only with memories to go off of."

But I had no memories. I don't know what life was like before I was a Nobody.

"In any case, I gotta get back. Got some stuff to do."

Oh. "Okay then. See you later then, Axel."

* * *

I wanted to ask Axel about Castle Oblivion on the Clocktower today. I pulled myself off my bed and went down the hallway only to bump into Saïx.

He remained indifferent as he spoke to me. "Axel is gone if you're looking for him."

I looked down at my feet. "Oh."

"He was sent on a mission. He'll return if that is your concern."

He simply just walked away.

I kept my head hung low, thinking back to the conversation I overheard nearly months ago. Axel was sent to find Naminé or some special chamber of sort.

Naminé...Naminé...

Why did they want her so badly?

Bam! I walked right into a wall. I hadn't realized I was walking the entire time I was thinking. Where was I? This castle was enormous, and so easy to get lost in I hadn't bothered to go beyond our living quarters and the Grey Area.

Footsteps approached my left. I looked in that direction to see someone stepping out of a doorway down the hallway. I retreated instinctively behind a wall. The silver hair gave away to the Superior. That had to be his room, right? He left in the direction opposite of me. I waited until I couldn't hear his footsteps echoing up and down the halls any longer.

Was that really his room though? It seems odd; his room would be someplace I wouldn't be able to get to as an underling. Maybe it's something else?

Whatever, I was curious, and it couldn't help to check. I quietly made my way down to the door. It was barely visible to the naked eye, but it was there. My hand searched for the small indent in the door for the handle. I pulled, the door automatically sliding open.

It wasn't a private room; it was a room with a giant computer. I closed the door behind me, my curiosity piqued farther by the massive computer. It had to be where all our reports were stored, among other things. I pressed a button on the keyboard, and it opened up to a database.

Search?

Search for what, exactly? Just how much stuff was on here to find? I pressed a button and found profiles on all the Organization members, including me. Once I was done reading, I pressed a button labeled backspace and it took me away to a blank green screen except for two icons. One was labeled "Data Base" and the other was labeled "Forbidden."

I pressed another button until it was highlighted and I pressed enter to open it up. A black window popped up, asking for approval and a password.

With a finger on my chin, I thought about what it could be. A password to a forbidden database. What did Xemnas usually have on his mind? I typed in letter by letter _Kingdom Hearts_.

A door behind the computer opened up.

I slowly walked inside to a tiny closet-like room. Another smaller computer was set up. I pressed the enter key and it showed me 13 spaces for passwords. So this was a secret computer that Xemnas and probably Saïx didn't want me finding.

PLEASE ENTER THE PASSWORD.

There were 13 of us. I put in our names. Nothing. I put in our titles. Nothing.

DO YOU WANT A HINT?

Yes, I do.

THE TOOLS.

Huh? Tools? What kind of a hint was that?

13 spaces. 13 passwords. It had to be something related to us as a group. I needed to know what was being hidden in here, especially after that weird interrogation Xemnas threw me into. They knew something about Sora. Sora. Sora. _Sora._

I didn't sleep well that night, or any nights after that.

* * *

_Secret Report 06_

Number XIII has noted he has been seeing phantom visions of Sora. I reported directly to the Superior about this phenomenon. He seemed more amused more than anything. But he warns me that the more awareness XIII has the less we can control him.

VIII isn't helping matters concerning the boy either. His false friendship with him is planting seeds of unquestionable doubt in the keyblade wielder. Soon, he will be more like Sora, willing to aide his friends and do unnecessary tasks.

To isolate him would make him lash out. I sent VIII away on a mission to separate them. Now, to increase in XIII's productivity and remain with our plans.

VIII forgot about our own plans, so I will remain loyal to the one who hasn't doubted my capabilities: the Superior.

* * *

A/N: Hello! another chapter super soon haha.

Q-A the Authoress: Good question! Sacred Moon is the name of the ambient music for The World That Never Was and it was a more of an ambient chapter with not as much plot being pushed forward thus why its called that. :)

See you all next update!


	7. Chapter VII: Kingdom Hearts

_Chapter VII: Kingdom Hearts_

_I'm gonna tell you the truth. I secretly choose the harder path, and you cheer me on. That is why I call you my only friend._

* * *

Xemnas couldn't think of better passwords than this. Even though he had 13 and it was so obvious it was based on his organization as a whole, I had to give him credit; I was absolutely baffled at what his password could be.

I sat rather grumpily in Naminé's room. I occasionally looked over her shoulder to see her progress on a drawing of me with keyblades, one in each hand.

I still had no idea where the second keyblade came from. Naminé's powers perhaps? I was confused. Even with my dreams of Sora he only had one keyblade, not two.

Eh, I had other problems and a second keyblade to fight with wasn't one of them.

"Naminé," I finally spoke after nothing but silence for 20 minutes. "I need your help. What could "the tools" to something be? Or to someone?"

She tapped her yellow pencil on her lower lip in thought. "Hmm, well, my pencils and my sketchbook are my tools for...drawing. Your keyblade is a tool of sorts."

It came to me. The name of my keyblade was the password. "You're amazing Naminé!" I exclaimed to her. She wasn't sure how to take my outburst. I grabbed her hands. "Thank you!"

"You're...Welcome?" She said, a single eyebrow raised.

"I gotta go, but I will see you tomorrow," I said with much enthusiasm.

She smiled. "I'll be waiting."

The next day, Saïx gave me practically two missions to complete.

"You have multiple objectives in this mission. I trust it will be done today."

Take out Deserters and slay another Larger Guard Armor in Agrabah.

That...Was odd.

When I got there, I summoned Kingdom Key to my grip and without fail the Oathkeeper—named in one of my dreams—appeared in my other hand.

I had access to this keyblade forever now, didn't I? The one problem I now had was I wasn't used to it. One strike was inherently weaker for me due to my left hand not being dominant, and I had to be more aware of each keyblade's position.

Deserters scattered about the area, running rampant in circles. With both keyblades in hand, I dove right in. One strike from my keyblades and they were defeated, however, I constantly fell over or stabbed the floor with Oathkeeper.

When they were all finished, I groaned out loud. "I don't want to fight the Guard Armor."

This heat sucks. This mission sucks.

I came back too tired to visit Naminé, even when I summoned the Samurais to aid me.

The next day it was the same thing again, two separate objectives in the same mission, and I had no help.

And it never stopped. I came back tired every single day. I wanted to see her, the pretty girl in white who draws and gave me a good-luck charm and I just couldn't.

Naminé must have thought I abandoned her.

And I needed to get the passwords to Xemnas' secret computer, but that was going to be tough. Yes, let's waltz up to Saïx and Xemnas and ask for the names of their weapons. That totally won't tip them off at all.

Perhaps the regular castle computer would have that information.

* * *

Even though I had nothing in the beginning, I still had one thing I always kept track of.

The days. Even as they bleed together, I always wrote down what day it was in my journal.

Today makes 255 days since I joined the Organization.

As per usual I slumped out of bed, ready to face my grueling tasks ahead. However, there was no one in the Grey Area.

Saïx walked up behind me with his same samey footsteps. "Lord Xemnas has summoned us."

I followed him up to the Brink of Despair. Xigbar, Xaldin, Axel, Demyx, and Luxord were up there too.

Xemnas stared at the clouds above. Strangely, the rest of the sky was clear except for this clump.

The clouds blew away, and Xemnas raised his arms like he was embracing the sky before him. My eyes bulged out of my head. A giant moon, shaped like a heart, revealed itself from the clouds.

"The time has come," Xemnas spoke, entering possibly an overly long speech. "And at long last, through the valiant efforts of the Keyblade, we see before us the great collection of hearts. Hearts full of rage...Hate...sadness...and bliss. Shining down upon us is the crystallization of all hearts—Kingdom Hearts."

How long was he going to get to the point? Xemnas if I knew you were gonna go on about Kingdom Hearts for 10 minutes I would have slept in.

"There in the sky, hangs the promise of a new world." He turned around and said something that made my skin crawl. "My friends. Let us gain further power, to conquer the human heart and make it our own."

In what universe was I Xemnas' friend? Or even Saïx's? Axel was my only friend here.

Still, he continued on. "Let us remember why we are here and what we hope to achieve. Hearts shall be gathered and be made our own."

Right. I was here because I lacked a crucial part of my being. I was, and forever will be, a Nobody until I complete Kingdom Hearts.

Same with Naminé. Same with Axel.

"Hearts shall never again have power over us." Finally, he ended his speech.

Was having a heart such a burden? Then why do we seek it? Why do we want it so much? Do emotions and feelings and even my past matter that much?

Still, I couldn't help but feel my gut sink as I stared at the formed moon called Kingdom Hearts. It wasn't very shiny in the darkness, but I figured it would be soon. I created that. I made that. I was that much closer to a heart. And yet, with how odd the Organization is, how Saïx seemed urgent in shoving more work at me, I was uneasy, like I was making a mistake.

I'm sorry Naminé.

I came crawling back from my mission, but for once I wasn't entirely exhausted. I had just enough energy to sneak back into the computer room. The computer was still open for me to use. I immediately began digging into the profiles of Organization XIII.

_Number II. Xigbar, the Freeshooter. Weapon: Arrowguns - Sharpshooter._

_Notes: Prefers working in the field._

That was interesting. They provided me with the names and even thoughts on each member. I wondered what mine said.

_Number XIII. Roxas, the Key of Destiny. Weapon: Keyblade - Kingdom Key._

_Notes: The key to all._

Well, fitting I guess considering what my role was. I moved onto Xaldin after Xigbar.

_Number III. Xaldin, the Whirlwind Lancer. Weapon: Lances - Lindworm._

_Notes: Master strategist._

Moving on, I looked back on my earlier days in the Organization. I barely remembered the other members due to them being gone, though I definitely recall Vexen being annoying and pestering me with a million questions. In hindsight, this was probably for this database.

_Number IV. Vexen, the Chilly Academic. Weapon: Shield - Frozen Pride._

_Notes: Has an interesting theorem on replicas._

Frozen Pride was the name of his weapon? Geeze it's so painfully accurate.

_Number V. Lexaeus, the Silent Hero. Weapon: Axe Sword - Skysplitter._

_Notes: Strongest of the group._

If that isn't the truth. My jaw ached thinking back to my first and only encounter with him.

_Number VI. Zexion, the Cloaked Schemer. Weapon: Lexicon - The Book of Retribution._

_Notes: The smartest scientist of the group._

I'd hate to be subject to a fight with a guy who uses a book as a weapon.

_Number VII. Saïx, the Luna Diviner. Weapon: Claymore - Lunatic._

_Notes: Ruthless and organized._

I think I feared Saïx more than Zexion. His claymore was the Lunatic? Lunatics were crazy as far as I knew. I shuddered to think there was something else going on underneath Saïx's immobile facade.

_Number VIII. Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Weapon: Chakrams - Eternal Flames._

_Notes: Efficient at subterfuge and carrying out orders cleanly._

Axel, just, who are you? The Axel I knew was noted very differently from the one I met up every day for ice cream.

_Number IX. Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne. Weapon: Sitar - Arpeggio._

_Notes: Can barely fight. Can barely do recon. Can clean floors._

Ouch. I don't think Axel could deliver a worse burn than that.

_Number X. Luxord, the Gambler of Fate. Weapon: Cards - Fair Game._

_Notes: Speaks in many metaphors._

How very appropriate of a theme he had.

_Number XI. Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin. Weapon: Scythe - Graceful Dahlia._

_Notes: Rather independent and questioning._

Not again with this. "You're smart you'll figure it out." What did he even mean? Why even tell me this at all? Whatever.

_Number XII. Larxene, the Savage Nymph. Weapon: Knives - Foudre._

_Notes: Sharp tongue and volatile._

The only mission I had with her and all she did was insult me. Finally, I had the passwords...And then it occurred to me. There was no file on Xemnas, therefore, no password. I needed to know what he used, and what he named his own weapons. How would I even get my hands on such information? Waltz right up and ask "hey what are your weapons?"

I sneaked back into my room and face-planted on my bed.

* * *

My chest was so tight with guilt...Or just wanting. I missed Naminé. Axel was still gone so who knows when he'll be back.

Saïx handed me the usual mission paper, but instead of sending me off on my way, he looked up behind me. "You will be doing recon on a new world today with Xaldin."

I turned around to face the Whirlwind Lancer. He was tall and had very prominent sideburns. His arms were folded. I wondered if he would be the only match to Saïx's intimidation.

"Let us get on with it, we have work to do," he said in his gruff voice, leaving in a dark corridor.

Upon entering this new world, I noticed one thing, it was dark. Literally. It was night time, even though it should be daytime. In contrast to Twilight Town, which is always a constant sunset. The second thing I noticed was the imposing and scary-looking castle.

Looking around, gargoyles were arranged in a circle around us. The walls were really high, something even I couldn't possibly jump. A dead tree in the corner tipped me off this was definitely the courtyard.

Xaldin was already walking away. I had to jog to catch up. "Initial intel tells us there is a beast of some sort in this castle. Saïx informed me there is a Heartless to deal with possibly. Be alert."

The front door was open. Xaldin shoved me forward—receiving a glare from me in return—to peek inside. The hallway was empty, no one in sight.

I pushed the door even more and walked inside. More gargoyle statues lined the pillars. Red carpet rolled up to a grand set of stairs splitting into two.

"This place is very empty..." I muttered.

"Hmph. There should be servants at least," Xaldin said. "You check the east wing and I will check the west wing." He walked up the stairs and made a turn to the left. I went right. At the top was a narrow corridor with only a small torch illuminating the way.

Walking down the hall, only the light of the moonlit my path through the tall windows. At the end was a single double door. It was slightly ajar enough for me to sneak a peek.

Within the room was a girl in a blue dress, her hair was tied back with a blue bow.

"Something has been bothering him," she said to herself out loud. "It has to be all the Heartless."

Now that was a familiar word to me. This girl knew about Heartless?

I backed away. So someone was upset at the Heartless running around. I would not be surprised if it was the same Heartless I was warned about.

I left the East Wing and made my way over to the West Wing.

To my utter shock, the entire West Wing was huge. And even weirder? There was a walking clock. A clock! And it was even talking.

"The master has been out of sorts of late and hasn't been speaking with Belle, oh this won't do," the clock said, his back facing me.

How...How? How? Just how?

I shook my head, my hair swaying annoyingly in my face. I sneaked by the clock to the end of the hall to find more stairs. Stairs, stairs, even more stairs. Can this castle just cool it with the stairs? Once I climbed all the stairs into another hall I found Xaldin was leaving.

"The Beast jumped out of his balcony to fight the Heartless in the Courtyard," he said nonchalantly.

Well uhh. "Uhhh okay? I should go deal with it," I said, turning on my heel and leaving.

What did Xaldin find that in that room I wondered?

Running out to the courtyard, I saw the Beast get flung over the walls leading to the exit. He landed flat on his back. Horror struck me as I stared at his beastly form. He was a huge guy. A simple shadow couldn't possibly do this.

Shoving the gates open I found myself on a bridge and a giant Darkside, tinted purple, was forming a dark orb in the center of its heart. Oh joy, a Darkside.

With both keyblades in hand, I charged at the Darkside. It slammed its fist down at me, but I dodged it with ease. I climbed up its arm and with a whirlwind of light; I slashed its head in with Kingdom Key and Oathkeeper. It recoiled back, its orb in its heart fizzling out into smaller orbs. They homed in right on me. With one keyblade I bashed them away, destroying them in the process. I jumped over onto the neck of the Darkside and stabbed both keyblades in.

It shuttered and flailed about. It disappeared in smoke. I fell to the ground, landing perfectly.

Oh right, the Beast. I ran over to the gate and peeked in. The girl—Belle—ran over to him. I looked up and saw Xaldin standing on the very top balcony, watching before him.

"Oh, Beast!" She cried out to him, looking over his bruises. "Are you alright?"

He groaned as he turned his stuff neck to look at her. "Belle...get away, you might get hurt. It's too dangerous."

"I'm taking you with me," she said with a sad expression on her face. "They're gone; you don't have to fight them anymore."

"Then...I managed to stop them from...getting in."

She tugged at his cloak. "Please—you must stop doing this, you're getting hurt. If something happened to you I don't...I wouldn't know what to do."

"Belle..." He looked at her with a longing gaze. "I couldn't bear to see you...or the others harmed. A master protects his castle."

Should I even look away? Why did I feel like I was invading in on something?

"Feh. Cloying nonsense," Xaldin said behind me in his usual gruff manner.

I turned right back around, forming a glare at him. "Where were you while I was dealing with the Heartless?"

"I was investigating his quarters. Seems this Beast has a strong attachment to a rose of some sort.

He ignored me and continued observing the Beast and Belle. "Hmph. Love from a Beast. How utterly ridiculous."

I wanted to push the subject of him just leaving me to deal with that Heartless alone, but something else struck me. Love?

"Love?" I asked, desperate to know the answer.

He crossed his arms. "A useless, pathetic emotion only for the desperate. It's deluding those two as we speak. Its weakness compared to other emotions like rage."

"But what exactly is love?" I said with annoyance at his stupidly cryptic explanation of the emotion.

"How would I know?" He answered gruffly. "All you need to know is they are foolishly believe it will save them. That's the stuff of poetry, not practicality."

"So it's a power?"

"None you or I will ever grasp. Nor will they, for long. The love between them will whither and die. Love never lasts."

That's just peachy. "But you lack a heart, how would you know?"

"I have eyes and a brain. We've no further business here."

* * *

I sat on the clocktower by myself once we left that castle. I buried my head in my arms. "What is even love? What type of power is it?" I muttered to myself.

"Oh, you're here," Axel's voice spoke behind me, startling me.

"Axel!" I sat up straight, eyes wide. "You're back."

"Yeah. Finally finished with my mission," he said, holding an ice cream in his hand. "You look so glum though. Saïx get you down?"

I sighed. "Axel, do you know what love is?"

He choked on the bite he took of his ice cream. After coughing a little bit he cleared his throat. "Um well, it is...What do you know about it?"

"That it's some sort of power. Xaldin didn't explain it at all."

Axel scratched his head. "Well, it is a powerful thing, true. But I'll never experience it."

"Right, no hearts..." I looked away to stare at the sunset.

"Love, in general terms, is something very special that happens between two people."

"Like...your friends?"

"You can care about your friends but that's not what I'm talking about. It's difficult to explain."

"Is it a step above friends?"

"Yes and no. There aren't really 'steps' per se. But we'll never know the difference anyway," he said.

I closed my eyes. This was confusing. "Love is confusing," I mumbled.

Someone came into view in the darkness.

A white dress. Blue sandals.

The scent of freshly sharpened pencils.

I was snapped out of it when Axel took another audible bite of his ice cream. "You got that right," he said with a mouthful.

Axel continued to chat away about other things, and so did I, giving him the run down since he left.

I ran out of time to see Naminé, and I couldn't think of an excuse to get away. I had to see her tomorrow for sure.

That was a lie.

* * *

Another day, another mission. Once again I was sent on a solo mission to eliminate more Heartless. Saïx really needed to chill.

"Kingdom Hearts hungers for more hearts. Go collect them," he said, shoving a flimsy piece of paper at me.

Pushy.

Once the large pack of Heartless was dispatched, I opened the usual dark corridor to Twilight Town. Today, nothing would stand in the way of me visiting Naminé.

Shrouded in the darkness, I walked among the empty abyss, and eventually ended up on the main hub in the realm of nothing called the Betwixt and Between. Stepping into another dark corridor, I was once again surrounded by darkness.

But I was alone. A presence unlike any other was...Crying out? Reaching out? I stopped walking.

Someone was there, in the darkness.

"Help me."

I turned around in a circle. "Who is there?"

"C-Can you hear me?"

The voice was a girl's. Not like any other's that I have heard before though. This one was soft but mature. Naminé's voice was smooth like the waves on a beach; this voice was like the heavy clouds on a rainy day. "Yeah, I can hear you," I answered back, slowly.

"Who are you?"

I lowered my hood. "I'm Roxas."

"Turn around, please."

I did as I was told.

"You...Are you a keyblade wielder?"

I nodded, summoning both my keyblades in hand.

"You have Oathkeeper..." the girl's voice turned to one of awe.

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah?"

With a blink, a girl in black faded into my view. She was on her knees, her short black hair caressing her face. On her ankle was a red laser-chain binding her to where ever she was. She was half in the darkness, half somewhere else.

"Good," she said. "You must know Sora, right?"

I shook my head. "Never met him."

It's always about Sora, isn't it?

"You look just like him though," she said, looking me straight in the eyes.

Whoa, she looked just like the girl with red hair in my dreams. Even weirder, she also resembled Naminé.

What the hell is going on? "What's your name?" I asked.

"I'm Xion," she answered. "And I need your help, Roxas. I knew reaching out with my powers would get me help but I'm even more lucky to have met you."

I dismissed my keyblades. "Why are you chained up like this?"

She sighed. "I am one of Xemnas' little 'experiments' of the heart. He wants my powers."

"What exactly are your powers?" I questioned. "And Xemnas is experimenting?"

"Ever since he found me and my friends he's been trying to understand how my powers work. Unfortunately for me, I don't entirely understand them either, so I've been subject to his tests." She wrapped her hands around herself. "But I cannot ask you to set me free because I cannot leave my friends behind. They're in statsis currently and I plan on keeping it that way."

That was rather noble of her. She was enduring pain for her friends' sake. I wonder if one day I would have to do the same. "Xion, why did you reach out to me?"

"Because I was trying to find Sora. He's possibly the only one who can help me. If I couldn't find him I would try Riku or Kairi."

It shook me when she spoke the last name.

_"K—i!"_

"Who are those two?" I had to ask if Xion knew who they are.

"A friend of Sora's. Silver hair. Once fell to the darkness," she explained. "Kairi is..."

"Someone very special to Sora," I finished for her. "Well, you've got me instead. How can I help you?"

Xion sighed in relief. "Stop Xemnas. Stop his plans. Stop him from getting Kingdom Hearts."

"Well, I would stop his plans if I knew what they were," I grumbled, crossing my arms. "I can't get into his computer without the password."

She tilted her head. "Password?"

"Yeah, something about the name of his weapon being a password. I don't know what it is though, I don't think I've ever seen it."

"I know it," Xion said.

I stepped back out of shock. "Y-You do?"

"He uses ethereal blades. I heard him once refer to them as Interdiction," she explained. "If you can find out the depth of his plans, please stop them. Nothing good will come of him gaining control over Kingdom Hearts."

"But, what about the rest of us? The Organization?" I said with a shaking voice.

"The only one he actually trusts is Saïx. Now go, before you're caught talking to me," she said, the dark corridor she was using swirling away.

"But what about you?" I said in concern.

"I won't leave them. Go!" she said with a firm voice.

I stumbled out of the dark corridors. My gut lurched as the horror of everything came crashing down. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. I was numb.

Sorry Naminé, I couldn't see you again today. Forgive me.

Today makes 300 days since I joined the Organization.

And that was a mistake.

* * *

_Secret Report 07_

The progress on Kingdom Hearts has increased ten-fold ever since Number VII has extended XIII's missions. However, I must have my keyblade wielder be in top form when the right time comes.

VIII's mission to Castle Oblivion has proven fruitless. His report gains me nothing on the Chamber of Repose.

And No. i's experiments are stalled. She's far too stubborn of a spirit to break. If I can awaken the other 6 hearts she's so determined to protect, then I will have a stranglehold on her powers.

Some nights I sometimes dream, like a plague upon my person and my conscious. Blue hair is all I can view. The darkest depths of the ocean calling forth to me, trying to pull me under.

I must remove these useless dreams immediately.

* * *

A/N: Haaa. Ha. Oh looky at how many days there are left. :D

Q-A the Authoress: Hehe. Roxas is about to get a big taste of reality now.

See you next time!


	8. Chapter VIII: The 13th Struggle

_Chapter VIII: The 13th Struggle_

_It's since the day that you loved me I could be free and at ease but I'd feel empty if I were all by myself._

* * *

I hadn't seen Naminé in way over a month. I hated this. I hated Saïx. I hated Xemnas. I hated all of this. More hearts. More. More. Never enough. Kingdom Hearts was hungry for more.

I threw my pillow across my room. I glared at the stupid heart-shaped moon shining through my window. "I hate you!" I growled. "I hate you," I said again, softer.

The last few weeks were nothing but more and more work. If I were to get even one chance at getting inside that computer room again without suspicion, it would have to be at night.

I stayed up until the middle of the night. It was hard to tell when the sky was eternal darkness and the moon was shining brighter and brighter. Even knowing, being told, that I shouldn't allow Xemnas to get at Kingdom Hearts, I still had to play the part. I still eliminated Heartless, but I did the bare minimum of what was expected just so Saïx didn't get on my case for not doing missions...Or worse.

My small clock by my bedside struck 2:30 am. I was going to feel like utter garbage in the morning but I didn't care. I wanted to know now. Xion, she looked so much like Naminé and Kairi—whoever she is—that she had to be worth trusting in an odd way.

I sneaked out of my room. I had never been around so late at night. Did other Organization members roam about late at night? Did they do other things? How early did Saïx even wake up to organize our missions? I thought about it as I lightly stepped around the halls on my way to the computer room. Once I found the barely visible door I slipped right in.

I cracked my knuckles and began inputting the keys.

FORBIDDEN.

Yes, I wanted in.

ACCESS GRANTED.

The door behind the computer opened. Now was my only chance. My chest pounded, my hands felt numb as I pulled my journal out and slipped inside.

PASSWORD?

I pressed each key, forming each word letter by letter.

Interdiction.

Sharpshooter.

Lindworm.

Frozen Pride.

Skysplitter.

The Book of Retribution.

Lunatic.

Eternal Flames.

Arpeggio.

Fair Game.

Graceful Dahlia.

Foudre.

Kingdom Key.

ACCESS GRANTED.

I swallowed. I pressed enter and it opened up to a file.

About Sora of all people. I wanted to throw my keyblade at the computer.

_Sora, the key that connects everything. With every Heartless slain with such an ancient weapon, another heart is freed. Collecting these hearts into The World That Never Was will take some time, but luckily with the hearts in Ansem the Wise's lab and his data on the nature of hearts, this will prove to be no such problem._

I felt the color drain from my face.

_His Nobody was created in such a way I hadn't anticipated. Sora, so self-sacrificial he may be, willingly turned himself into a Heartless._

Sora had a Nobody?

_But yet another anomaly, he has retained his form and his memories, but the Nobody, the empty shell called Roxas, lives on, no memories, only armed with the very keyblade Sora carries._

_Sora, however, has disappeared for the time being. His Nobody shall carry on his work of forming Kingdom Hearts._

_Ah, yes, Kingdom Hearts. The source of great power. Now that I am not bogged down by emotions, I can carry out my plans to open the door to the greatest powers of the world and rule between the light and darkness. Pure world order shall be restored at my hand, with Organization XIII as my vessels for each part of my being._

I was dizzy. The world was spinning around me. I fell to the ground on my knees, angry tears dripping down my cheeks.

"My name is of no importance," he looked at me. His orange eyes pierced the shadow of his hood. "What about you, do you remember your true name?"

"My true name is..."

Xemnas got up and brushed past me, placing his hand on my shoulder. He whispered only one thing to me. "Sora."

I. Am. Sora.

Sora is me.

Naminé wanted to tell me this all along. Yet, Axel didn't. He refused to tell me the truth. I refused to ask Naminé for it because I feared my past like an idiot. Dying for answers then I get scared.

Naminé...I cannot allow the Organization from preventing me from seeing her anymore.

The worst part though was Xemnas didn't care about us. He was using me for his own gains. I didn't understand this whole "vessel" thing but it was not good. Far from good.

Xion was right, so scarily right.

I had to make plans of some sort, but right now I had to get out of there. I closed out the files and logged out of the systems. Fleeing back to my room I laid down on my bed, squeezing my head, trying to make the silence a little less unbearable.

Xemnas wanted to dominate all the worlds I had been to. Worlds Sora has been to. He only wanted me for my Keyblade, the same way he wanted Sora's keyblade. Each Heartless I had seen in Sora's memories was another heart for Xemnas' collection.

It's like they bottles on a shelf and he has no plans on sharing. Gaining a heart of my own was just a ruse.

Well, I didn't need one anyway!

I buried my face into my pillow, screaming into it.

* * *

I slept a few hours at most. It was going to be a long day, but I was determined to see Naminé.

I marched down the hallway to the Grey Area, trying to remain calm like nothing has changed. I looked at Saïx with not a single change in my usual blank expression, but I knew, I knew he was involved in controlling me.

"A powerful Heartless has surfaced in Twilight Town. Dispatch it," he only said to me.

Just one Heartless? That's it? "Nothing else? No countless packs of Heartless for me to deal with?" I said with a snide tone.

"Hmph. Just do your task, Number XIII."

I returned the glare, opening a corridor. "Glad to."

* * *

All was quiet in Twilight Town. Far, far too quiet.

I went to the back alley. Nothing. I went to the sandlot. Nothing. I went to the clocktower.

Before me was a giant flying Heartless. Its wings were red and bared its fangs at me.

It shot out a dozen fireballs at me. I rolled out of the way, summoning my keyblades.

But I no longer had Kingdom Key. In its place was Oblivion. That's what Sora called it.

Small shadows appeared out of the ground. I rolled my eyes. "Get outta my way!" I shouted, using Oathkeeper to cast Lighting on the shadows. They all evaporated and it was just Dustflier and me.

It flew overhead and slammed its feet onto the ground. A massive shockwave came out, shaking me and knocking me down on my back. I picked up my Keyblades and leaped up to bash it in the head, but it simply backflipped and smacked me down on the ground face up with its tail. Using my keyblades again, I pushed myself back up. I threw Oblivion at its head, making it dizzy. I went in to bash its tail in before it recovered, but it recovered all too quickly.

I was too tired for this nonsense. "Fine then." I raised up Oathkeeper and Oblivion. I breathed in and out. "Light!" I shouted, thinking of Sora's memories. Pillars of light shot up from the ground around me. In total, thirteen pillars surrounded me in a circle. I charged forward at the Heartless, pointing Oathkeeper at it to send the pillars out at the creature. It took blast after blast after blast to the face while I scratched at its tail with Oblivion.

I felt drained after I sent the last pillar out. It was still alive somehow.

"Y-You've got...To be kidding me," I gasped out, trying to keep myself standing using Oblivion. "How powerful is this Heartless?!"

Dustflier dove at me, it's tail ready to flip me over.

It stopped mid-air when two chakrams engulfed in flames bashed into its face.

"Why did Saïx send you alone like this?!" Axel's voice yelled behind me. He hand grabbed me by the arm and lifted me up. "You look absolutely awful Roxas. You can't take this thing out yourself."

Tell me something I don't know.

The chakrams returned to Axel's grip. "I told Saïx in my report of this thing you need two Organization members," he said, gritting his teeth. "I know you're tough," he launched his chakrams at the Dustflier's tail, "But you're not that tough, especially since you got bags under your eyes."

I took Oblivion and tossed it at the Dustflier's face. "So what do we do?"

"You take its left I take its right," Axel said, tossing a potion at me.

Axel leaped up to Dustflier's right. I slid below its stomach on the left. Axel dug the chakrams into its shoulder and I slashed at its tail with Oblivion. I took Oathkeeper and shot out a beam of light at its gut right as its tail clipped my shoulder and sent me flying.

The thing shuttered and desperately tried flapping its wings desperately, but it failed. A large heart appeared into the void.

My keyblades disappeared as I used the wall to get back up. My shoulder felt like it was on fire from the hit I took.

"Roxas!" Axel rushed over to me. "You alright?"

"I'm...Fine, Axel," I said, gripping my shoulder. "I just need a potion." I took one out of my pocket and drank it down in one gulp. "See?" I said, raising my hand and wincing.

He shook his head. "You're exhausted, Roxas. All you ever do is mission after mission. Let me take you back to the Castle.

No! I can't go another day without seeing Naminé. I had to see her, today, regardless of how tired I was or how much I hurt. "Axel, I'm fine. I will go myself."

He grabbed my good shoulder. "No way man."

I yanked back. "Leave me alone Axel. I can return home myself."

"But..."

"Axel please!" I said a bit too loudly. "Just go."

He backed off, staring at me, unsure how to respond to my uncalled for outburst. "Fine." He turned on his heel and left in a huff via a dark corridor.

I sighed. Great, I made things even worse. Axel didn't trust me, and yet I couldn't trust him either. I made my way down the hill all the way to the woods. I climbed up the wall to the mansion with much effort than usual. My shoulder still hurt but it was more bearable than before. I fell on my face after I got inside the courtyard.

Ten minutes or so later I was able to push myself into Naminé's window.

I could hear her gasp as I tumbled onto my bad shoulder.

"Roxas!" She dropped her sketchbook and rushed over to me. "Are you alright?"

Her hands were so soft. So comforting. She brushed her fingertips over my good shoulder. "I'm...I'm fine, Naminé." I groaned in pain as I tried to roll over, only sending more pain into my shoulder. Good thing I had more potions somewhere in my pocket.

She pulled me up by my arm. "No, you're not. You're in pain."

I stood up with her, leaning against the table as I gripped my shoulder. "I have a potion in my pocket."

She reached to my left and pulled out the small bottle from my pocket and popped the cork off. "What happened?"

"Heartless. Sent alone to deal with it," I explained, gulping it down. My shoulder relaxed its pain. "It's nothing."

She brushed my heavy bangs aside. "Roxas...You've had no sleep."

"I know."

She shook her head. "You put yourself in danger! And then you just come here anyways."

I pulled her close to me, hugging her. "Because I missed you," I said sadly, curling my arms tighter around her waist and resting my head on her shoulder. "They keep making me do so much work I'm usually too tired to come here. But then I left you alone for over a month and it just killed me Naminé. I couldn't bear it. I couldn't bear to let you think I've abandoned you. I felt lonely and I really, really missed you Naminé."

She wrapped her arms around me. "I missed you too, Roxas," she whispered back.

I could keep her like this forever. I really wished I could stay like this forever, with her.

But knowing who I was now, I had to ask her the things she wanted to tell me so long ago. I pulled away from her. "Naminé...I should have asked you a long time ago to tell me who Sora is. Now I know. Sora is me, right?"

Her eyes widened, but she nodded. "Yes. You came from Sora. The memories you've been experiencing? They're your memories from your past self...But..."

I nodded in understanding. "But?"

"They're...not really your memories, are they? They belong to Sora. You're still...Like Sora but you feel like a different person to me. When I first met you," she grabbed my hand and sat down on her chair, "You were like Sora to me. But as time went on, you developed your own memories, your own way of doing things, differently from Sora. Not even Sora could ever use two keyblades."

"But why do I still have his memories?" I squeezed her hand back. "Please tell me."

"Sora's memories have been taken apart...By me."

I tilted my head. "Who are you, Naminé? What are your powers?"

"I'm nobody worth mentioning." She looked away from me. "Just a nobody who loses because I did it. I tore Sora's memories apart because I was so desperate and lonely and..."

I hugged her. "I'm sorry, Naminé."

She continued on, leaning against my shoulder. "He asked to have his memories restored. However, the chain of memories was loose and...I cannot complete my work. Sora's most important memories are within you, Roxas. All these months I spent with you I was trying to untangle the threads of memories that Sora needs inside of you. Every drawing I did was to get those memories."

"Do you...Need more time?" I asked. "Why are these memories so important?"

"Without them, Sora won't return. They're of the one Sora cares about most. He cannot return without them."

"...His memories of Kairi."

"Exactly."

I sat down next to her, breaking the embrace. "All this time and I just never knew and I could have known if I was so...Scared."

"It's not your fault Roxas..." she squeezed my hand. "I understand why."

I shook my head. "But what can I do know? If there's anything I can do to help?"

She looked down. "I don't know. The Organization wants to destroy me to prevent Sora from waking up."

"Why do we need him anyway," I said, annoyed. "Why?"

"Sora's connections are his strength. I owe him for my misdeeds and my selfishness."

"Right..." I said. "But do you need him to destroy Organization XIII?"

Her eyes almost bulged out of her head. "Destroy Organization XIII? Roxas..."

"I know Xemnas' plans, and it's not good. He's experimenting on a girl named Xion. He wants to use Kingdom Hearts to control us. He is using Kingdom Hearts to control us. Someone has to stop him, and I can do it."

She got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around me. "Roxas, they're dangerous. I know you're powerful but...are you sure about this?"

I nodded. "If I can use Kingdom Hearts itself, either set it free or use its powers, I can free you from their hunt Naminé. You and I, we both can gain hearts of our own and they will be stopped."

"I believe in you. Please, lay low at least for a while? I cannot lose you too," she muttered in my ear. "Please."

"I promise, Naminé, but I cannot guarantee everything. Eventually, I will have to leave the Organization before they get Kingdom Hearts. The longer I am forced to help them the closer Xemnas is to winning."

"Yes...time is of the essence." She said, a tear dripping down her cheek. I pulled back to wipe it away with my thumb. "I wish I could have been able to untangle the web of memories within you sooner."

"But we're here now. That's all that matters," I said, with a yawn.

* * *

I woke up, still in Naminé's room. How long have I slept? I must have passed out sometime after or during my talk with her.

She was sleeping next to me, slumped against the wall and leaning on my shoulder. A white blanket covered her and me.

Panic hit me. My pulse was racing. Oh no. Oh no. I slept for far too long. I didn't report back. I didn't RTC. I never reported back in a timely manner.

I was in huge trouble.

Getting up carefully so I didn't disturb Naminé, I kissed her cheek goodbye and left out her window. I sprinted away from the mansion and right into a dark corridor.

I ran and ran through the darkness, through the Betwixt and Between, into more darkness and into the Grey Area.

No one was around except Saïx and Xemnas. I huffed for air, knowing exactly why Xemnas was there. This was so bad I wanted to just run back into that dark corridor. Back into Naminé's comforting embrace.

"Superior," I greeted. "Saïx."

"You haven't returned since yesterday, Roxas. Why is that?" Saïx interrogated me. I could have sworn his giant x-shaped scar was flaring up.

I needed to put a filter on my mouth, for what came next I regretted so badly. It was like all the anger and hate came back to me, a reminder that he was a part of this insane operation. "None of your business," I said, looking away.

His eye twitched. "You insolent-"

"Gentlemen," Xemnas spoke up in his unusually cool and calm voice. "Number XIII has still returned to us. A light punishment will do. Nothing more, nothing less."

Axel walked into the room, his eyes wide. "Oh."

"Come then, Axel, and witness the punishment we give out to those who refuse to report back in a timely manner," Xemnas said, disappearing in a dark corridor.

Xigbar walked in next to Axel. "Whoa, what did I miss?"

"Xigbar," Saïx said, still glaring at me. "Bring Roxas to the Hall of Empty Melodies." He disappeared in a corridor as well.

Wait, what? The Hall of Empty Melodies? No way. It's just a large space. What are they going to do to me there?

Xigbar snapped his fingers. "Well then, in you go kiddo!" He shoved me into the dark corridor. At the end of the other side was the center of the Hall of Empty Melodies. Saïx, Axel, and Xigbar watched from the balconies above me. Axel looked very concerned for my safety, Xigbar looked like he needed popcorn, and Saïx remained indifferent as usual. At least his scar wasn't flaring up.

Before me was my worst nightmare: Xemnas. He looked so oddly satisfied with himself. "As punishment for failing to report in, you must duel me."

Oh. Oh no. Somehow my big talk of taking down Organization XIII was coming to bite me in the butt. I had to steel myself. How powerful could Xemnas exactly be?

My shoulder still ached though.

Xemnas summoned two long red lasers from his palms. Ethereal blades indeed. I summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion to my hands.

Before I could even blink Xemnas was levitating in mid-air, zooming right over to me and swinging his blades at me. I raised both Oathkeeper and Oblivion to block every strike, every hit pushed me backward by several inches.

My shoulder hurt more and more every time he landed a hit on my keyblades. I tried shoving my weight forward but instead, he tripped me over with his foot and slammed one of his ethereal blades into my back. I collapsed to the ground; my keyblades flying out of my hands. My shoulder was on fire again.

"Do not, under any circumstances, disobey my orders, again," Xemnas said. "Or face the consequences."

I laid there in pain even after Xemnas left in a corridor. I saw Axel's boots in front of me, and then a hand was offered to me.

"Why didn't you come back?" Axel whispered quietly as I took his hand.

"I had something important to do," I answered curtly, wincing at my shoulder again.

He nodded at me in understanding. He wasn't upset at me anymore, or I hoped so.

* * *

I couldn't visit Naminé after that incident. They were definitely onto me.

Obey or face the consequences.

For over a week that's what I did. Went on like nothing happened, pretended that I knew nothing. Missions were given to me, but they seemed less exhausting than before. Axel has to have something to do with that. It was still grueling work but I managed fine once my shoulder healed.

When I felt in the clear, I had to do something for Naminé. She gave me a lucky charm, I should give her something in return. She didn't have pockets on her dress as far as I could remember, but I wanted her to have it on her all the time.

Passing by the jewelry shop, I spotted a silver chain resting on a model hand. Charms hung from it. That's it!

I walked up to the shopkeeper. "Hey um, can you make custom charms?"

The old woman raised an eyebrow. "Yes I can, but it will cost you."

I presented a small bag of munny. "Will this do?"

Her eyes bulged at the amount of money I placed on the counter. "Y-Yes."

"Thank you."

"What do you want them to look like?"

I took out my good-luck charm. "One like this? And..." Hmm. "Do you have a piece of paper and pen?"

She slid the items over. I picked up the pencil and began scribbling down my ideas. A pink sketchbook and a silver x that I would wear if I wasn't stuck in this coat all the time. "These?"

The shopkeeper nodded. "I can make these but it will be a week. You'll have to assemble the arrangement yourself."

"That's fine. Thank you."

I was too excited to show Naminé her gift once it was done. I slept very well that night.

_"Sora, no! I won't let you go."_

_"No...You won't use me like this!"_

_"Riku!"_

_"You gotta get out of here! The Heartless are coming!"_

Okay so uh, not really.

* * *

When I came back, the charms were done. The chain was in a small bag.

"Whoever receives this is a very lucky person," the woman said.

"She is..." I said, thinking about her. "Thank you."

I went back to my room after my mission and ice cream with Axel, staring at the chain and the charms. I wanted this to be personal, just for Naminé. I arranged the charms on the chain in a circular fashion, but it was still missing something.

Her oathkeeper that she gave me was made from light. I wondered if I could do the same.

I called the very keyblade to my grip and pointed it at the bracelet, thinking of ways to protect Naminé. An orb of light floated out the tip and was absorbed into the bracelet, shimmering for a moment then fading away. I picked it up and it felt so warm to me.

Perfect.

* * *

Maybe not.

I woke up in a cold sweat. What if she doesn't like it? Oh no. What will I do? I don't know what to do if she says no. Oh great, she's going to think I'm weird or assuming of her fashion choices. I needed an opinion but from where?

Demyx and Luxord were weird. Xigbar I'm sure would make my innocent gift into something far from innocent. Xaldin wouldn't care. Forget Xemnas and Saïx.

Axel was my only hope left in the worlds.

On the clock tower that day, the charm bracelet burned in my pocket next to my good-luck charm. I could barely eat my ice cream, even as Axel came up.

"You're early."

I shook my head. "No, you're just late."

He rolled his eyes at me, smirking. "I'm always on time. Everyone else is just either late or early."

I shoved him. "Yeah keep telling yourself that," I joked.

He took a bite out of his ice cream, unfazed by my shove. "So what's new with you?"

I took a deep breath. "Okay um, don't laugh."

He raised an eyebrow. "Laugh at what?"

"I uh, made a bracelet for someone," I explained as I took it out of my pocket. "I don't know if she'll like it."

"Well, then Roxas. Who knew you'd be such a ladies man. Girls love that stuff. She'll like it if you made it just for her," he said with just a glance at the small jewelry in my hand.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, you put effort into it right?"

"Yes."

"Then if she rejects it's her loss."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you, Axel."

"You're welcome...Now, who is the girl?"

I froze. No way was I telling him who she was. Naminé was my biggest secret. "No one."

"Wait, I know why now you've been sneaking off after missions sometimes. You've been meeting this secret girlfriend all this time!"

"She is not my girlfriend," I said, my face burning hot.

"Hmm, you were always the super-secretive type now that I think about it. I'm not surprised you've been sneaking off to see a pretty lady."

"How did you figure that?" I muttered.

"Hmm let's see, the hood and the fact we talk about random nonsense up here a lot instead of our personal lives. Sounds about right."

I shoved him again. "You're a pain."

He laughed.

* * *

I steeled myself as I walked up to the mansion. It was now or never. The bracelet burned in my pocket. Climbing through the window, I landed properly on my feet.

"Hey Naminé, I know it's been a while-" She cut my words off as she embraced me.

"I'm just happy to see you, Roxas," she mumbled into the leather of my coat. Her soft hair swayed in the slight breeze coming from her window.

"I...I am happy to see you too, Naminé. I have something I want to give you." I broke the embrace and reached into my pocket. She tilted her head at me in curiosity.

I presented her with the shiny silver bracelet in my palm. "For you, for good luck, you could say." My face was so red I didn't know how I was able to speak.

She took it into her hands, examining it with a sparkle in her eyes. "Thank you so much, Roxas! I..." a single tear slipped out from her eye. "I-I love it."

There was that word again. Love.

She placed it around her wrist. It fit just perfectly.

"It fits," she remarked, dangling it. "Thank you again, Roxas."

She hugged me. I hugged her back.

I could stay here all day if I wanted to.

* * *

Sadly all good things didn't last.

"You are to do recon on this world and find a massive Heartless with Axel," Saïx said, handing both of us a paper.

Another world. Please be like the last one and have zero flashbacks to Sora's life.

Everything is always about Sora. Always.

The two of us walked through Betwixt and Between. I wasn't sure how to broach the subject of me asking about what happened at Castle Oblivion again.

"So who is the pretty lady?" Axel joked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not telling you who the girl is. She's nobody."

"Heh. Why she doesn't exist?"

"She exists!" I defended. "She's just not someone you would know."

"Pfft, that's not stopping me. I wanna know who caught your eye," he said with a wink.

I opened my mouth to rant but I stepped out of the dark corridor and straight into a body of water.

"Stupid Saïx I muttered," I said, popping up for air. I climbed out of the water, being stared at by a completely dry Axel who was trying not to laugh. "Very funny."

"That was too amusing you gotta admit."

"Okay wise guy, where are we?" I asked, brushing the salty smelling water off of me.

"Neverland."

Oh, joy. A world Sora has been to.

On the rock we were on, there was some loud scuffling. Axel and I looked into the mouth of a cave and saw a cartoonishly overdramatic guy in red and some other guy digging a hole with a shovel.

"Faster Smee! Faster! On the double!" The red pirate barked orders at his lackey.

"Y-Yes Captain Hook sir!" Smee increased his speed.

"I will find this treasure! Even if we have to dig through all these marked treasure maps!" Hook yelled.

It was fuzzy, but I could see Sora staring down Hook.

"Argh, Smee! There's nothing here!" Hook shouted, snapping me out of my daze.

Axel pulled me off to the side of the mouth of the cave before we were spotted.

Hook stomped out of the cave, Smee following obediently with his shovel.

We pressed ourselves against the rockface. Hook marched back onto his ship and raised anchor, going off somewhere else.

I peeked back into the cave. Walking inside I looked into the hole they dug. The chest inside was completely empty.

"He was right, nothing here," I said.

A large flying Heartless appeared. Spoke too soon. I leaped up to bash it in with Oblivion but it flew out of reach. Axel tried tossing his chakrams at it but it just zoomed out of the cave and across the water after the pirates.

"Wanna bet that's what they actually dug up?" Axel said, putting his hands on his hips. "That thing is just taunting us."

I walked out of the cave after the Heartless only to be faced with an endless ocean. "Get back here!" I shook my fist at it. "They dug up a Heartless and left to find more. How are we supposed to get to it? Swim towards it?"

_Ring. Ring ring ring._

Something kept ringing in my ear. I turned around and a tiny girl floated in the air. Before I could inspect closer, yellow sparkly dust-covered me from my hood to my shoulders and down my coat.

"Uh Roxas, what..." Axel's mouth gaped open as my feet left the ground. "What's happening to you?"

"I-I don't know!" I said, struggling to keep myself straight as I hovered higher and higher off the ground. "Who...What?" I asked the tiny girl.

"And this is Tinker Bell."

Oh right. Her name was Tinker Bell. "Can you give my friend some dust too?" I said, pointing to Axel.

She nodded and flew over Axel, leaving a trail of pixie dust over him.

"Uh, so what do I do?" Axel asked, staring at the dust on his arms.

"Believe?" I shrugged. I flew higher. "Believe that you can fly?"

"Where is this belief juice you've been drinking then," he laughed. His feet then lifted off from the ground. "Okay I take it back," he said panicking.

I turned around to see that Heartless flying away. I zoomed in at it, bashing it in with Oblivion into the water. It collided with the surface and its heart exploded into the air.

"I got the Heartless!" I shouted back to Axel, who was still struggling with his balance.

"Ahhh...well that's good I guess...Nghh," Axel wobbled like crazy. "Where did those pirates go though?"

"They went west I think?" I said, pointing past the rock we arrived on.

Once Axel was able to fly properly, we flew over the water, chasing after the huge pirate ship. To our luck, they were digging on another island.

"This is the last chest Smee! This has to be the treasure!" Hook declared, his sword pointing at the sky.

_Clang!_ Smee's shovel came in contact with a chest. "Found it Captain!" Smee said with a salute.

Hook pushed over the chest with his foot, gold filling the chest to the brim. "Yes!" A dark aura enveloped him. "I am rich!"

I looked to Axel, who nodded.

The ground roared. Smee ran behind Hook. "C-Captain!"

The chest shook and closed, revealing a skull on it. The chest pulled itself out of the ground, revealing a giant Heartless underneath, with wings and a tail made of golden skulls.

"Guess we found our target..." I muttered.

"Retreat!" Hook screamed, Smee on his leg as he ran back onto his pirate ship. "Full speed ahead Smee!"

I summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Axel summoned his Eternal Flames.

"I take the tail, you take the wings?" Axel asked me.

"Yep," I agreed, darting forward in mid-air.

* * *

I sat on the island where they dug up the chest. My feet dangled off the ledge.

Axel was still squeezing out the water from his coat by a tree, muttering to himself things about keyblades or Heartless. I couldn't really decipher what he was saying since he was so far away, but a smile remained on my face. The image of Axel falling into the water was just too hilarious.

The ocean was so pretty, looking past the ugly rocks. I swore I could see a rainbow in the distance.

"I...I cannot believe I flew! In the air! Wait until I tell Naminé," I said to myself, closing my eyes picturing what her reaction would be.

"Naminé?!"

Oh no. Ohhh no. I slowly turned around and saw a mostly-dried off Axel standing behind me, his eyes wide in shock. "You...Of all girls it was Naminé?!"

I winced. "Um, no I d-don't know a Naminé I know uh Namie."

He sighed. "You've got some explaining to do, Roxas."

No kidding.

* * *

The two of us sat in awkward silence on the clocktower. We didn't even bother with the ice cream, only staring at the sunset.

"How long have you known about Naminé?" Axel finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Since shortly before you came back from Castle Oblivion the first time," I answered. "I...I met her and I had no idea who she was for the longest time."

"And you never told me," he said. "It would've been nice to know she's alright."

"It's not like I really had a choice. I knew Saïx was looking for her and I didn't think Naminé wanted you to know...To be honest I didn't want you to know either."

Axel sighed. "I wouldn't put her in harms way you know. I can keep my own secrets too."

I scoffed. "The same way you won't tell me what happened in Castle Oblivion?"

He looked away. "What happened there wasn't for you to know. I can't just go..."

"Spill Xemnas' secrets now can we?" I finished. "Lord Xemnas and his stupid Chamber of Waking; and Saïx is basically his lieutenant in this insanity."

"Hey now Saïx is not..." Axel raised his voice.

"Are you defending him?" I said, my eyes narrowed at him. "Look what Saïx tried to do to me! I have a faint scar on my shoulder because of him."

He looked so hurt, but he seemed...Oddly accepting. "Roxas, you don't understand..."

"Understand what? That Saïx isn't just some person carrying out a crazy man's orders? Xemnas is nuts!"

"He gives overly long dramatic speeches this isn't much of a stretch," Axel deadpanned. "You're just taking this all wrong."

I shook my head. "You are the one who doesn't understand. Now that you know that I know where Naminé is, it's just a matter of time before they're tipped off."

Axel looked so hurt at that statement. "Roxas I wouldn't..."

"You say you wouldn't, but can I trust that? Even when I'm not around?"

He nodded. "I will protect Naminé from Organization XIII. I promise that."

"Even so Axel...It's best if I...Leave," I muttered. "Once the time is right."

"Roxas, that's suicide!" He said, gritting his teeth. "Where will you go?"

"To find Sora," I simply said, getting up. "My other life. My other self."

"Roxas..."

I walked away.

* * *

_Secret Report 08_

I told Roxas everything, including the memories he's absorbing from Sora. If I cannot get them out soon, DiZ will resort to drastic measures if possible.

I don't want to lose Roxas. I...I never felt this way about someone before. I feel all warm and protected whenever he's near me, whenever he's hugging me. I feel a part of Roxas lies within the bracelet he gave me.

The threads interwoven in him are so tight as if he was clinging to those memories somehow. He also clings to his very being, the body that belongs to Sora. But Sora has gone for a long time as just a heart with a hollow vessel created from Kairi's light. If he can just get his memories back...

Roxas won't have to disappear.

No, Naminé, don't think of it. If worse comes to worst, he will be going back and becoming a whole person again.

Or that was the best scenario I could think of. The both of us were doomed to fade back into darkness. But if I cannot free the threads, can Roxas truly take on Organization XIII and win? I wanted to tell myself yes as a small comfort, but the doubts still linger in my head.

Little by little I untangle the mess of memories inside Roxas, but all it does is make him tired and not sleep well.

I'm trying Roxas, I really am. I hope it's enough.

* * *

A/N: Choo choo! Angsttrain is leaving the station!

ALSO AHHHH NEW RE:MIND TRAILER AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH

Q-A the Authoress: Ohohoh it's only going to get worse from here. :D

theCesar09: Commence everything hitting the fan in about a chapter and a half. ;D


	9. Chapter IX: Lord of Castle Oblivion

_Chapter IX: Lord of Castle Oblivion_

_Mundane, daily life suddenly began to shine from that day when my heart was stolen away._

* * *

Castle Oblivion.

What happened in Castle Oblivion? I only had a glimpse of what happened in Sora's memories, but now I couldn't even remember them, not even any details.

Sora was there. So was Axel, though I highly doubt he wants to talk to me right now...But he didn't want to tell me about Castle Oblivion, ever, did he?

I lied on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Tonight, I would have to search Marluxia's room. He intentionally dropped me that hint all those months ago and I was too idiotic to investigate.

When the clock struck midnight, it was my chance. I even took off my shoes so I didn't even make a noise as I made my way down the living quarters' hall. Marluxia's room was only a couple of doors down. The door opened with just me pressing a button.

Inside there was hardly anything to see. It was just as empty as my own room, save for a dead fern plant.

I opened the closet. All that I could see was personalized black coats. I looked underneath the bed, nothing. I opened the first drawer of the bedside stand. Only a pen was inside.

Marluxia left me nothing to go off of. I pulled open the next drawer. A bunch of papers, mostly mission reports and Marluxia's own file I found on the archives were in it. Nothing of value.

With a sigh, I pulled the latch on the final drawer. Clunk! It was locked.

Locked with no key.

Oblivion appeared in my grip. I pointed it at the keyhole below the handle and a small orb of light floated out from the tip, flying into the keyhole and clicking audibly. I pulled open the drawer and a simple black journal with the letters XI painted in white on the cover.

I opened it up and found one single page and it was addressed to me.

_Hello Roxas._

I shuddered, hearing his voice inside my head.

_You're reading this because you got a stable head on your shoulders. Should my plans to overtake the Organization fail, the task to take down Xemnas befall to you. You, the very tool Xemnas needed, shall be the one to overtake the Organization._

_In this journal, I detailed a map that has a lab within. Xemnas is performing experiments within that lab and it may help you. Do what you will with the weapons within if you so please._

_Your keyblade is the ultimate goal, but now you can move the goalposts._

I flipped to the next page. A map of The Castle That Never Was was written. It seemed it was leading me to the outer city and into the back tunnels underneath a sewer grate before a place called Memory's Skyscraper.

I closed the journal and stowed it in my coat's inner pocket. Sneaking back to my room, I stared at my discarded sneakers.

Looks like it was going to rain out, time to get some better footwear.

* * *

Combat boots felt weird in comparison to sneakers. I took them from the laundry room's closet. A shiny new pair untouched before, and even in my size. I stashed my sneakers underneath my bed.

Leaving out the front door of the castle was weird. I snapped my fingers, calling forth my samurais.

"Patrol the city and the entrance, if anyone is coming, find me in Memory's Skyscraper," I ordered them.

They bowed to me and disappeared in white thorns.

I had never been to the Dark City before, only been able to see it from below from my window. It surrounded the entire castle from all sides, but only one way in.

The roads twisted by empty buildings. Who even lived here, besides the Nobodies? It felt like this was once a place full of people but now it was just a ghost town.

I found the sewer grate off to the side of Memory's Skyscraper, a tall building with giant screens on the very top. The thing was heavy so it took me a bit to push it open enough for me to look inside. All I saw was a floor. I climbed in, only closing it partway so I could leave it easier.

Landing my feet I was greeted with a stale smell. This hasn't been used in years but the smell still lingered.

The journal said I would have to go a way down towards the direction of the Castle. I followed the path and then made a right down another long corridor.

At the very end was a large door. I pushed it in and peered inside.

Someone in a black coat was working at their desk. A giant screen showed a silhouette that I recognized. It was the girl in the black dress. Xion.

Plain faced dolls hovered in chambers full of green fluid. I didn't even want to know.

What was this awful place?

I squinted at the guy sitting at his desk. Long dirty blonde hair covered his hood, and his sleeves were reaching past his hands.

Vexen was alive. He supposedly perished at Castle Oblivion, but he didn't. He's still here.

Why did Marluxia want me here?

I pushed the door open more and stepped inside, only to find the ground was slick. I clung to the door's frame for support, trying to stay steady.

Vexen got up from his chair in surprise at hearing me. He stared at me with only curiosity. "Heh, the Keyblade's Chosen One has found my secret lab. Impressive."

I gritted my teeth. "Marluxia led me here."

"Ah yes, the one who ordered that I must be eliminated for knowing too much. Plegh! He thought he could destroy me so easily, but what he eliminated was a replica of my own creation. Only Xemnas knows I am here, continuing my research on Replicas and the nature of the Princesses."

"What are you doing to Xion?!" I yelled. "I see her on that screen; you cannot be treating her well."

Vexen raised an eyebrow. "That's her name? We've tried for months to collect her name but she's far too stubborn."

Crap. I didn't know she only told me her name. "What are these replicas even for?" I demanded, summoning Oblivion to my grip and pointing it at him.

"The vessels of darkness. And now that you're here," he snapped his fingers and summoned dusks to grab me. "You can be the first test subject."

I bashed them away from me, but more came in their place.

"No!" I shouted at Vexen. "I refuse to let you steal my keyblade like Xemnas!" I summoned Oathkeeper to shove away dusks at my flank.

"Two?!" Vexen stared, bewildered. "I must investigate as to how you've obtained two keyblades..."

I took a step forward to push them away and slipped and fell to the floor from the ice. I kept my keyblades up but it wouldn't stop dusks for long.

The ice melted and the dusks were set aflame. They scattered about. I flopped onto my back in relief, dropping my keyblades for a moment before sitting up.

"Man oh man why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?" Axel's voice spoke behind me. His chakram was behind his shoulder. He stepped past me. "You just don't know when to perish, o you?"

Vexen gritted his teeth. "You were just Marluxia's pawn! Marluxia planned on using Sora, and he's trying to use Roxas even now!"

I stood up, keyblades ready. "I'm my own person, Vexen."

"Hmph, you lie to yourself. Your true name says otherwise!"

I gripped the handles of my keyblades tighter. Axel nodded at me and we both charged. Vexen summoned Frozen Pride and deflected our strikes. He raised up his shield and a giant blizzard came in, freezing my feet.

Axel threw a wave of flames at my heels and freed me. He traded blows with Vexen, chakrams versus ice crystals.

I breathed in and tucked my keyblades in, unleashing a large sonic wave of flame. "Fire!" I shouted.

The wave knocked Vexen down onto his desk. He stumbled forward, clutching his side in pain.

Axel smirked, only holding one chakram. "Well, Vexen it seems you haven't learned from the last time. Allow me to demonstrate."

Vexen's eyes widened. "No...No no!"

"Goodbye." the Flurry of Dancing Flames snapped his fingers.

Vexen combusted in fflames on the spot. All that remained was Axel's chakram behind where Vexen once stood.

Axel picked me up by my arm. "Why are you down here?"

"Marluxia led me here. Why are _you_ here?" I asked.

"I was out getting a midnight snack when I saw you leaving out the front door. I had to follow," he shrugged. "Never knew that Vexen was still alive though."

I walked over to Vexen's desk. A computer with Xion and Naminé's silhouettes was on it. "I don't want Xemnas to have this."

Axel grabbed my shoulder. "We might need it though. That information..."

"Was given through horrible means!" I yelled. "And they will use it to control Kingdom Hearts and control me!"

"Roxas..."

"Forget it," I muttered. "I'm leaving."

"Roxas!"

* * *

Returning from my quest, I was greeted by a rather unpleasant sight in my room.

Xemnas.

He stood there, arms crossed at me.

"Aren't you a very curious boy," Xemnas mused. "Someone accessed the Organization's database. Do you know whom?"

I shook my head. "No idea," I said, shrugging.

He got up and strolled over to me. "Not a clue hmm?" He towered over me.

"Do you mind?" I spat.

He grabbed my coat by the collar and lifted me up. I struggled to find the floor with my feet, grasping Xemnas' arm to get him to release my collar.

"Now listen very carefully, Number XIII. If you show even one more ounce of disobedience again, your memories will be wiped, you'll remember not a thing since the day you joined our ranks."

I gritted my teeth. "And how..." I gasped out. "Will you do that?"

His free hand flickered with electricity. "Your journal is a vital component of your being." He dropped me, stepping over my body. "Now, complete Kingdom Hearts and we shall have no other problems.

I glared at his back, pushing myself up and sitting against the doorway.

What were my options at this point? I couldn't very well stay very much longer.

They would get ahold of my journal and erase my memories. I took it out of my pocket and stared at all I had written.

They suspected me. They tricked me into creating the very tool that would control me. I needed someplace safe for this, somewhere Xemnas would never find this.

Axel had searched tirelessly for the Chamber of Waking. Perhaps I could find it and place my journal there?

That meant going to Castle Oblivion.

* * *

I walked through Betwixt and Between, staring at the map I copied from the computer's database to Castle Oblivion. When I left the corridor of darkness, I stood before an odd-looking castle on a piece of ground floating in the void.

Leaning all my weight on the door, I pushed it open and found myself in a pure white room.

The only white I cared for at this point was the white of Naminé's room and her dress.

A headache formed; probably just the white overpowering my eyes.

I closed the door and before I knew it, new Nobodies appeared before me

Their hands were basically glued together. Their long magenta robes unnaturally bounced as cubes formed around them.

I snapped my fingers and my Samurai showed up at my side.

_My liege, Sorcerers._

"Eliminate them," I ordered. With a bow, they presented their blades and glided forward.

I shot thunder at the Sorcerer in front of me, but it didn't faze them. Immune to magic. Good thing I hade Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

There were so many though.

I had taken hit after hit of their annoying cubes but I still bested them in the end. My breathing ragged, I stood up tall and dismissed my Samurai.

My headache never ceased even as I walked through the rooms.

Sora's memories of this place...They were gone. Where did they even go? I didn't have them, so where...Where did Naminé put them?

And why was I only left with the most important ones? The ones of Kairi: the girl most precious to Sora. I sat down on the stairs leading to a door.

A flash of someone sitting on a throne hit me like cold water. I fell on my back in shock. Who was that?

The main door opened up. It was Axel, again.

"Following me everywhere?" I asked, my fist tightening.

"You skipped your mission, and I had a feeling you would come here after finding Marluxia's notes," Axel said. "Why are you here?"

"Because I want answers. Tell me what happened here!" I demanded, my head throbbing.

"The truth isn't as simple..."

"Simple huh? Right, my mistake. You're my best friend, yet you won't tell me anything? I had to get into Xemnas' secret computer and find Marluxia's notes to get anywhere!"

Axel rubbed his temples. "Roxas, I don't want you to get hurt. You've already gotten hurt because you know of too much. Let this go."

My knuckles were white. "Why? I need to know who Sora is; I need to know why he's so...So special! Why he's so important, why his memories are so strong and invading my life!"

He shook his head. "Because I'm trying to protect you from the Organization! They will not hesitate to destroy you! You'll never gain a heart if you're gone! And what about Naminé?"

"As long as Organization XIII exists she's always in danger. As long as Sora is important she'll never stop being hunted! Don't you see why I kept her a secret for so long?!" I stood up, both fists clenched. "It's always about Sora! Because of Sora, I have no life anymore! My name is Roxas, yet they always call me Sora this and Sora that. I hate Sora!"

He seemed surprised I felt this way. I didn't care. I really didn't care. "Xemnas will keep sending his lackeys after you if you stay here."

I sat back down, kicking up my feet and leaning on my left hand. "Fine. He can keep sending them. I'm stronger than them. I will cut every last one down."

"Now you're just being a petulant child," Axel rolled his eyes.

"You keep treating me like one."

Now he was the one to leave this time.

I slumped out of my position, hot tears trailing down my cheeks.

_"Naminé...Erase Sora's memory."_

A gasp reached my ears.

_"But if I do that..."_

I looked up to see a translucent version of Marluxia in front of me, staring down someone who I couldn't even see.

By his side was a trembling Naminé. She faded away, leaving only Marluxia standing.

_"That's right. Sora's heart will be destroyed."_

No. No no no. Oblivion appeared in my hand and I charged at the phantom. It laughed as I went right through it.

The translucent phantom became more corporeal, an aura of darkness and rose petals swirling around him.

"You hurt Naminé!" I growled. "You..."

The phantom charged at me with its scythe. I dodged back with a backflip, Oathkeeper appearing in my grip. I summoned forth my 13 pillars of light, surrounding them around me. I tucked in my arms, unleashing a sonic wave of light at Phantom Marluxia. It flew back, heels scraping against the floor. One by one I sent my pillars at the Phantom, walking forward. "You hurt Naminé and used her for your plans. I will never ever be your pawn!" I shouted, leaping up and stabbing both keyblades into the Phantom. It fell silent and limp, disappearing in rose petals.

My head ached even more. I should get out of here. I couldn't stay.

* * *

I arrived in Twilight Town in the woods, making sure I wasn't followed. With a few runs up the walls of the mansion, I landed in Naminé's room.

She dropped her sketchbook she was so startled. "Roxas..."

I squeezed my eyes shut. My hands reached for hers. "Naminé, things have changed. I cannot stay under the cover of Organization XIII. We have to destroy them."

Her eyes widened. "But..." she looked down. "I still haven't been able to get those memories."

I brushed my thumbs over the back of her hands. "It's alright. I crippled Xemnas' network a little bit. I know his plans. I just need to do one more thing before I leave."

"What's that?"

"He collected data about a girl named Xion. I'm going back to get that data and then I will destroy it. Then I will find Xion and free her."

She nodded. "If you're sure you can do this, then I will help you."

I kissed her forehead. "Thank you Naminé. I...I need to make sure that they won't follow me here in the mansion. But I cannot go another day without seeing you. Will you meet me at the clocktower tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yes...But how will I get out? I cannot leap out of the mansion like you."

"Hmm..." I put a finger on my chin. "I got it." I put my hand on hers and raised it up. "You just think about where you want to go, in this case, the clocktower, and it will lead you there."

A dark corridor opened from Naminé's hand. "Whoa..." She said in awe. "Just think of where you want to go?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "So we'll never be apart."

She nodded. "Thank you, Roxas."

* * *

_Secret Report 09_

Roxas would have made a suitable vessel, but he is far too reckless and impulsive to be a worthy candidate. If we can locate a weakness of his, we will have him under our full control. I'd hate to resort to other more drastic tactics such as using our fail-safe we implemented into all Organization members.

Yet again the boy decides to rebel. He didn't even collect his mission today, running off to Castle Oblivion.

His next move may yet be his final one.

* * *

A/N: The end is nigh.

:D


	10. Chapter X: Prisoner of Love

_Chapter X: Prisoner of Love_

_If cruel reality tears us apart we would only be drawn to each other more._

* * *

_Secret Report 10_

Am I losing sight of everything? Or is Roxas just far too stubborn?

I'm doing my damnest to prevent him from being eliminated, and yet he's not listening. He's being stupidly reckless.

He'll get Naminé in trouble, I just know it. The girl has suffered enough but now her boyfriend is going heading right into danger and it will eventually trace back to her.

Roxas wake up! You're being blinded and bound to chains to an emotion you cannot feel!

What am I saying? No amount of words will work. But I have to try anyway.

The way he shouted at me in Castle Oblivion...He cannot be faking it. There's just no way. Can he? No, Roxas is a weird kid but he's not good at faking things he doesn't know.

How did Roxas obtain a heart then?

* * *

"I think," Goofy said to me. "We gotta go wake Kairi up."

I nodded. "I think you're right." I turned around to look at her body, a pang of pain in my chest. "If we can free her heart... But how?"

My eyes drifted over to the keyblade Riku dropped on the ground. "A keyblade that unlocks people's hearts... I wonder." I walked over to it.

"Sora?" Goofy said my name in confusion.

I reached down and picked up the black and red blade, eying it with a sense of dread, but also a sense of protection. For you, Kairi.

Donald and Goofy both realized what I was about to do.

"Sora! Hold on!" Goofy yelled to me.

Donald reached out for me. "No, wait!"

I looked at them with a smile and then plunged the keyblade straight into my heart.

* * *

My eyes snapped open. I was asleep against the wall in Naminé's room.

Naminé clung to me, her head resting on my chest. I stroked her hair, her breathing even. I had to move her off of me and onto the soft white blanket.

I was well-rested for once, I thought to myself as I left the mansion and into the woods. I opened the dark corridor and entered back into the castle, straight to my room.

Once I was finished with my tasks, I left without even looking back.

The living quarters led into the Hall of Empty Melodies. I overlooked the lower hall from the balcony. I could jump it, but I couldn't afford unnecessary risks.

Eerily, there was no one around. Xigbar, Xaldin, Demyx, and Luxord were nowhere to be found. Axel...I didn't even think Axel would be around, not after he stormed off yesterday.

I pushed open the door to Naught's Skyway, an outdoor walkway allowing us to gaze upon Kingdom Hearts. Xemnas' precious Kingdom Hearts.

Maybe I could make my stand right here, right now. The moon was the same as ever, except a bit brighter thanks to me. Knowing Xemnas though he would appear to defend it with all that he had at his disposal.

I will come back when I was ready.

Moving back into the Hall of Empty Melodies, I continued expecting someone would pop out of a dark corridor and attack me, but no one did.

A few dusks appeared, easily slain by one strike of Oblivion.

Entering Twilight's View, I stared overhead. Still no one around except a few stray dusks.

I took the Crooked Ascension down to the bottom floor of the castle. Only more dusks appeared, still easy to deal with.

What was going on? Was the Organization truly small enough that they wouldn't bother with their biggest player leaving?

Nothing's Call was empty as well. Except well, Saïx standing at the very exit.

"We don't accept resignations," he said coolly.

I breathed in and out. Right. Of course, he of all people would refuse to let me leave. "Today you are," I fired back, not even looking up to face him. "I have nothing else to gain here."

"But we have something to gain with you."

With a sigh, Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in my grip. "Not anymore. My keyblade belongs to me, and only me."

"Hmph." Saïx put out his hand and his claymore, Lunatic materialized in his hand. "You shall fade into oblivion."

He blinked his eyes, and the black of his irises was gone, only a yellow ghastly color remained. His x-shaped scar on his face flared up, the wound stretching over his skin. His hair was erratic and wild. I braced myself for his attack. Blue flames shot out of a slam of the claymore. "I will leave you with nothing!"

I leaped back. He ran at me with his claymore dragging on the ground. He slammed it into me, my keyblades my only defense. With unrelenting resolve, he continued hammering away, while I was being backed near the ledge. I planted my foot down and parried his strike, his claymore pulling him away from me. I took Oathkeeper and slammed it into his side while he was down, but it wasn't for long. His scar flared up again and the blue flames surrounding his claymore returned. I returned back to the defensive.

"Deflect!" I shouted, forming a dome over my head right as he jumped up and tried to slam his weapon down on me. The dome shattered and blasted him backward.

I dragged my keyblades on the floor, sparks flying off the metal versus metal. I upper-cut him into the air, slamming him down with my other keyblade. He raised his claymore up in time to block me. I leaned my weight against him, trying to push him off the ledge. Sparks between the metal of our weapons flew off from the tension. "Light!" I exclaimed through gritted teeth. A single pillar of light appeared and I backed off from Saïx. With Oblivion pointed at him, I sent the pillar flying forward.

Saïx tripped over from the pillar, falling off the ledge. His hands clung to the edges. Eventually, he pulled himself up to rest his arms on the floor.

"Traitor..." he murmured, trying to keep his body weight up.

"Why do you even follow Xemnas?" I asked, walking over, my feet dangerously close to his hands. The temptation to kick him over faded. "Xemnas doesn't particularly care about you. Or any of us. He's using all of us."

Saïx looked away from me, his scar returning to normal. "Because Axel...Lea...Forgot our promise."

I shook my head. "That's not enough."

"You wouldn't understand...Our friendship goes back years...Long before you or that boy came along."

He was trying to psych me out. I turned away and left the castle.

Reaching Memory's Skyscraper, I climbed back into the sewer grate and went back into Vexen's lab.

Pictures of both Xion and Naminé littered the walls. I grabbed the research data on his desk and shoved it into my pocket in small folded squares. One report, in particular, caught my eye.

_Xion, a most peculiar girl. She serves as the anthesis of Kairi, one of the 7 Princesses of Heart._

_Her powers come from the darkness of the purest form. It is not like the darkness Nobodies or Heartless are controlled by, but darkness fueled by the light. She is merely Kairi's worst qualities as a person amplified._

_How did these girls come into being?_

_Yet, also, Naminé came into being when the odds were impossible, but here we are._

Stowing it away, I then stared at all that remained of the research.

My stomach lurched. My blood raced in my ears. The anger and hate and rage just overwhelmed me. Red clouded my vision. Oblivion appeared in my hand and I lost control. I destroyed the computer, the data, everything I could see right in front of me. Papers and debris flew everywhere.

Crackles of electricity filled the silent room. All of it was destroyed. I couldn't see anything in my dizziness from lack of air. Oblivion was dismissed and I took deep breaths to calm down. Once I did I climbed out of the sewer grate and began walking out of the Dark City.

Axel was leaning against one of the buildings, not even flinching as I walked right on by.

"Your mind is made up?" Axel asked in a solemn tone.

I didn't turn around, I didn't want to. My best friend who refused to stick by my side, I couldn't even look at him. "Why did the keyblade chose me? I have to know," I said.

He didn't seem to understand still. "You can't turn on the Organization! You'll get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!"

I didn't have it in me to be mad at his choice, I was only disappointed. "No one would miss me," I said in defeat. Well, it was true. There was only one other person who would miss me and she wasn't here. I continued walking away down the back alleys. I could hear his words still, faint in the distance behind me.

"That's not true...I would."

I smiled, sadly. Goodbye, Axel.

* * *

Where did I think I could go? The only place I really could go to was Twilight Town and for one reason.

Naminé was waiting for me.

I wiped away one of my tears as I climbed the hill to the station. Now that I had left, was I truly free? Or would it just go on? And on?

Would I ever know freedom? Would I be free of the burden, of the guilt, of the chains shackling me? Sora. Organization XIII. Xemnas.

Would I ever know to have a heart? What...What does it feel like?

I placed my hand over my chest.

_Thump. Thump._

I startled myself. What was that even? What...

Perhaps asking Naminé would help me. Yes, she would know, or have some semblance of an idea.

At the train station, no one was around save for a tiny wisp of darkness struggling to get bigger. I reached out to the wisp and imagined Naminé on the other side trying to reach me. "I got you, Naminé."

The whisp grew bigger until it was big enough for someone to make a giant step through. I held out my hand to her and pulled her out of the rather small portal.

Her smile, her beautiful flaxen hair, her indigo eyes that made my once-dull days shine, made my chest pound faster, my blood race, and my breath catch in my throat.

"Hello, Roxas," she said with relief. "I'm afraid I haven't been able to do much with corridors of darkness yet."

I shook my head, just happy to see her. "It's fine, I'm just glad you're here."

She giggled, before stopping at something, staring at my face. "Are you okay Roxas? You were crying."

Oh. I wiped the tear stain from my cheeks. "It's...Well, it's a long story Naminé."

"Indeed it is," the voice of Saïx said behind me.

I whirled around, arms spread wide to protect her. "You..." I glared. "We are finished Saïx unless you really want a round two."

"Hmph," his claymore was moving back and forth in his grip, debating whether he should strike. "I believe you should be asking that to your Superior."

Something hit me on the back of my head.

"Roxas!" Naminé screamed.

I flew forward down on the ground, skidding and rolling, clutching my head in my hands. Everything was so dizzy and fuzzy.

The crackle of Xemnas' ethereal blades came closer. I summoned Oathkeeper to my hand but he instead kicked it out of my grip across the way. He stepped on my free hand, pinning me into place as he forcefully made me look up to see Saïx hold Naminé's hand behind her in an iron grip. It looked so painful, and I could see her trembling. Just like in Castle Oblivion.

"No! Let her go!" I cried out, my throat tightening up and the rest of my words failing me.

Xemnas kicked me in the gut, walking over to her. I clutched my stomach in pain, trying to look at only Naminé in the eyes to try to reassure her everything would be okay.

"Where is Sora," he asked her, quietly with no room for refusal.

"I-I won't tell you!" She declared, wincing at the jerk of her arm for her defiance.

The world was fading for me. All I could see was Naminé.

"If you won't give information," Xemnas said, turning around to look at me instead of her. "Then we shall put you to a different use. Isn't that right, Number XIII?"

I was too dizzy now to pay attention. My hood was lifted up as Xemnas' final words made my spine shudder.

"I _always_ keep my word."

* * *

A/N:

See you next week. :D

IanAlphaAxel: Thank you! sorry for the spam of several chapters at once haha.

avengersassemble1099: I shall emotionally prepare you for the eventual happy ending then! o7


	11. Chapter XI: Vector to the Heavens

_Chapter XI: Vector to the Heavens_

_I felt like I could try harder, and harder, without a limit._

* * *

Everything was blurry. I felt sick to my stomach. My legs and arms were heavy. My head was pounding.

"He is awake," I could hear Saïx's voice in the blurry dull light.

"Good. Grab him," said Xemnas.

Two pairs of hands grabbed my arms and pulled me off whatever I was laying on. They dragged me across the floor, my knees and feet limp.

"Ayy, who would have thought kiddo here would have led us straight to Naminé? Gotta give him credit though," Xigbar said with some sort of sick amusement behind his tone. "He hid her for months from us and we were none the wiser."

I blinked over and over, trying to bring the world into focus. "Nghh..."

"He's still out of it," Saïx noted.

I can still hear you. I blinked once more and the blur gave way to clarity. Bright lights above us made my head pound even more.

Before me was Naminé, sitting upon a chair. She was trying hard not to shake and quiver in her seat at the sight of me being held captive like this. I looked up. Luxord and Xaldin were gripping my arms like steel. I couldn't break free and rush over to her even if I had the energy.

Xemnas strolled over to her. I tugged at my restraints but to no success. He leaned down to her eye level.

"I will ask you one more time, Naminé, as the memories of Roxas," he said, glancing over to me. "Are on the line. Where. Is. Sora?"

Her eyes darted over to me. I shook my head weakly as best as I could. Do not give in. Do not let him use me as leverage.

"I won't tell you," she said in defiance. "I will never break my promise."

He stood back up. "Such a foolish girl for a foolish boy." He walked over to a table, picking up a black journal with the number XIII printed on it in white. "Your memories shall be wiped, but first, you can feast your eyes as your precious one falls into oblivion."

He snapped his fingers and a dark corridor with flickers of orange in it appeared. "The deepest, darkest abyss where worlds destroyed by darkness linger," he explained. "Naminé has a surprise waiting for her down there."

"Nghh...No...Naminé..." I choked out.

"If I suggest," Xigbar piped up from his spot. "Heal him so he can see with full clarity. Don't want the kiddo to have a faint version of his last glimpse of her."

My head pounding stopped at the snap of a finger. Everything was so clear to me now. Too clear. I stared in wide-eyed horror, tugging at the steel grip of my captors. "Let her go! Your beef is with me!"

"On the contrary, Roxas, once she's eliminated," Xemnas continued. "Your memory shall be wiped and you will have no choice but to complete Kingdom Hearts."

Naminé being gone meant Sora would never wake up. Naminé being gone meant I would lose my memories.

Losing Naminé made my heart clench.

"NO!" I screamed, fighting back tears brimming in my eyes. I tried kicking myself forward to throw Luxord and Xaldin off balance but it did nothing. I was out-classed and out-matched without my keyblades.

Xemnas grabbed Naminé roughly by her arm—_do not touch her_—and yanked her out of her tiny chair. "Say hello to Xion for me." He tossed her into the corridor of darkness.

"No! Naminé!" I pulled and pulled; my shoulders hurting from the strain.

Something hot near my feet caused Luxord and Xaldin to let me go.

"Roxas!" Axel's voice called out to me. I didn't care. I didn't look back as I ran forward, throwing Oathkeeper right at Xemnas' face as I dove head-first into the corridor of darkness.

* * *

It was the deepest, darkest abyss. This was farther into the Realm of Darkness than I had ever been. All I saw was black.

"Naminé!" I called out into the abyss. "Naminé!"

No response. No anything. I couldn't even see her or feel her presence.

"Naminé!" I cried out again. "I can't lose you too..."

I fell out of the clouds into a very strange place. A castle in pieces hovering in thin air was shining grey in the distance. The road I was standing upon was made of grey cobblestone, the letter x decorating it.

X was everywhere. On the castle, on the clocktower, on the lamp post. What was this place?

"Naminé?" I called out her name in the distance. No response.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out her good-luck charm. "Where are you?" I whispered.

The star in my hand shimmered for a second. In the distance shining by a flat rocky area was a light.

It was her light. Her light!

"Naminé!" I ran as fast as I could into a wide clearing surrounded by dark boulders emitting dark auras. Her body was on her wide, resting peacefully. Her bracelet was shimmering. I could see a thin bubble of light surrounding her in a protective shell. I reached out into the bubble, brushing her hair aside.

She was breathing. She was fine. I lifted her up to rest her head on my thighs. "You're okay..." I whispered in relief.

Footsteps graced my ears.

I looked up and there stood Xion, staring in wide-eyed horror. "Why are you here?" she asked. "Why is she here?"

"Xemnas..."

"That's why I'm free?" Xion shook her head. "No...No no no! Not again!" She held her head. "Gaaah!"

"Xion!" I called out to her. "What's happening?!"

"This happened once before, my powers became stronger when...The Princess of Heart was near me. But Xemnas did something to me," she lifted her ankle up, showing a red brace. "He's controlling my powers! Get Naminé away from here! Now!"

I picked Naminé up into my arms, running behind a giant cliff. No way was I abandoning Xion like this though. I set Naminé down against the cliff. Oathkeeper in hand, I created a protective shield around her.

Stepping back out to make sure Xion was okay, I was greeted by a horrific sight. A giant amalgamation of darkness was in her place, a long coat with the hood painted with an x obscuring her face. With a flowery keyblade in her hand—I assumed it was a keyblade—she swiped at me. I rolled backward, Oblivion coming to my free hand.

"Xion!" I called out to her. "Xion what is going on?!"

"Get...Me...Out..." her voice cracked from within. "I... Can't... Control... This..."

Her keyblade came up and shot out massive waves of darkness into the air. With my thirteen pillars of light, I climbed up them and fired a beam of light at the waves of darkness, dispersing them.

Xion swung her keyblade at me again, I sent a pillar right at it, causing sparks to fly off the metal as the light and the blade clashed. She remained unfazed as she swung at me again.

A giant orb of darkness formed in her other clawed hand. I unleashed a sonic wave of light from my body and my keyblades. Her hand recoiled.

With a stab to the ground with her keyblade, she formed a giant dome around herself, much like the one I placed around Naminé, but instead of white, it was a sinister purple. I slashed down Oblivion onto the dome but my blade sparked with energy and my arm recoiled back painfully. Within the dome, she gripped her keyblade and channeled out falling orbs that reminded me of meteorites from...a time I didn't know nor remember.

"Hearts...are pain...and sorrow...and weakness," Xion's voiced echoed from within.

The red glow and the wisps of black were endless as they slowly fell down towards me. I had to get rid of this quickly before one could hurt Naminé.

With my thirteen pillars in a circle around me, I jumped up into the air.

"The heart may be weak," I said, staring down the giant before me. "And it may even give in, but it is our greatest strength. It's what connects us all!" I proclaimed to the endless void of a sky, letting go of my keyblades. They suspended in mid-air. "Give me strength," I said, hearing another voice alongside mine. An emblem of the letter XIII appeared beneath my feet. Warmth in my chest filled me from my fingers to my toes.

From my hands and my keyblades came wisps of light, shooting out towards the dome. Breaking it down little by little, small cracks formed from each hit.

All my pillars of light shot at the dome, shattering it into a million pieces that faded in mid-air. With Oblivion in my hand, I pointed it straight at the chest of the construct. A beam of light shot out, the same way Sora's keyblade did.

I was beyond drained as I floated back down to the ground. The emblem was gone. The construct shuddered, threatening to explode.

I dove back behind the small cliff next to Naminé. Taking her into my arms I felt the rumble of the ground for a minute before it ceased. Still carrying Naminé, I stepped out of the cover.

Purple and red bleed on the ground. A giant ring surrounded a lone figure stumbling forward, grasping her arm.

Xion fell to her knees. "Finish me, Roxas," she said, utter defeat. "I cannot fight anymore, nor can I let Xemnas gain my powers. So I beg you, destroy me. My weak heart cannot...Hold on anymore."

I stared at her in disbelief. She actually believed that? I set Naminé down softly on the ground, summoned Oathkeeper to my hand and strode over to Xion. She bowed her head down, waiting for the final blow.

I shot out a beam of light at her ankle. The red device shattered into fragments of light. "No," I said.

She looked up, staring at me with anger. "Why?!"

"Because I know there's a better way," I answered, trying to get words out amidst my exhaustion. "I will never strike down my friends. You're not weak, Xion."

"Friends..." She repeated the word back to me. "But you barely know me."

I shrugged. "That doesn't stop me from considering you a friend. It takes a lot of strength to protect friends the way you did."

She looked away. "So what is this 'better way'?"

"Take your freedom while you can. Xemnas is probably stewing in hatred at the very moment against me. Get your friends out and hide."

She looked back up to me. "Alright. Then," she held up her shaking hand. A dark corridor appeared to her left. "Take Naminé and go."

"What?" I questioned. "Why—"

"You're my friend, aren't you? I'm getting you and your special one out of here."

I had to chuckle. "Good point." I took Naminé into my arms. "But you need help, right?"

Xion shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "I will be fine. My friends will be okay. I just need to...Get them away from this awful place."

"Where are we anyway?" I asked.

"In the darkness, far deep into the abyss. This..." she gestured her head towards the castle. "Used to be my home."

I stepped back into the corridor of darkness. "If you need me again, Xion. Search out me, or find a red-head guy named Axel."

She nodded. "Thank you, Roxas."

With a snap of her fingers, the portal closed on me, leaving me to walk through the dark abyss.

* * *

I had been walking for ages. Carrying Naminé as I did, my arms began to shake from the weight of her.

Eventually, the light of Twilight Town graced my eyes. Walking through the woods and into the open field where the mansion lied, I wrapped one arm around Naminé's waist and began to climb up the wall.

"So tired..." I murmured, getting to the topo before I lost my balance. "Naminé," I whispered, dropping her onto the other side of the courtyard before falling back over the wall. I landed on my stomach.

"Naminé..." I said, exhaustion taking over me.

* * *

_Secret Report 11_

Naminé went missing. I knew DiZ would be furious at her disappearance, so I hid the fact she was missing for the time.

I could smell the usage of a dark corridor in her room. That was how she got out, not via the window. But why would she leave?

Was it because of that Organization member she had sleeping in her room once? But why would she give the enemy leeway with her? Was she kidnapped?

It was only a few hours of searching Twilight Town that I went back to her room to see if she left any clues. Only a black journal rested on the table. I went to inspect it but then something else caught my eye from the outside.

She was resting in the courtyard.

Naminé, where did you go? And how did you come back here?

* * *

A/N: Two more chapters to go! And then I am done and _Lines In-Between_ can resume.

avengersassemble1099: Thank you for reviewing! :D Xemnas really took strides to becoming Roxas' worst enemy (and ours) hasn't he? XD


	12. Chapter XII: Deep Dive

_Chapter XII: Deep Dive_

_Stay with me, stay with me. Just say you love me. My baby, say you love me._

* * *

I awoke, the smell of grass greeting my nose. Every muscle in my body ached. How long was I out?

I sat up on my knees, taking in the lay of the land and remembering everything that had happened before I passed out. It hit me like cold water.

Naminé! I got up and rushed over to the gate of the courtyard. She wasn't inside, which meant either the Organization found her—which I highly doubted because they would have taken me too—or that guy Naminé spoke to once many months ago took her back inside.

I sighed in relief, accepting this conclusion. I took out her good-luck charm, examining its simplicity in my hand. Nothing in my gut told me she was in danger, she was okay. She had to be.

But I couldn't think; I couldn't focus. I couldn't do anything, with her clouding my thoughts. Only two emotions surged through me: anger at Xemnas, and sadness that my carelessness got Naminé hurt.

Walking into town slowly, each movement stretching my aching muscles, I searched for the nearest potion shop. Dropping munny onto the counter, I took a giant gulp of the potion down my throat. The tension in my body soothed itself, but I still was exhausted.

I needed to get away from here. Stumbling into the back alley, I opened a dark corridor. To where? I didn't know. I didn't care. This town reminded me of Naminé and Axel and how I hurt both of them.

The corridor opened up to someplace I had never visited before, physically.

The extremely familiar smell of ocean water hit me like a slap to the face. The bright sun hung overhead. It was warm, very warm. I could take a nap here if I wanted to bathe in the sun's rays. White sand expanded out to the ocean, waves gently rolling in and out. Looking around, I saw the palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze. A waterfall poured into a small pool.

I looked to my left and my eyes widened at a very odd-looking tree with star-shaped fruit hanging from it. I knew this tree; I saw it in my dreams.

The world became fuzzy for me as I blinked and saw Sora sitting next to Kairi on that very tree.

_"If there are many worlds out there,"_ I heard Riku's voice inside my head. What the... _"Then why did we end up on this one?"_

I shook my head and looked away, but not before pausing to a new sight on the bridge.

Sora was tossed a paopu fruit from Riku. _"You wanted one right?" _Riku said slyly. _"If two people share one, their destinies are intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."_ He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, leaning down to whisper something. _"Maybe you should offer one to _her_."_

Sora blushed red, looking over at Kairi before tossing the fruit away.

I took my good-luck charm fast. It resembled that very fruit Riku was talking about. So that was why it was called Oathkeeper...

I had to get off this bridge. I jumped off, only to be graced with even more memories of Sora. Sitting on top of the bridge, a very young Riku hummed a song, while a younger Sora and Kairi were blushing.

_"Sora and Kairi sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,"_ Riku sang mockingly.

Sora waved his hand, ready to jump up and grab Riku's foot to drag him off the bridge. _"Cut it out Riku!"_

Kairi was too red-faced to say anything.

I turned around to look at the dock, and yet more memories came. Would they ever stop? Or will they just keep on going?

Sora and Kairi were sitting on the dock's edge, legs dangling down over the water.

_"You okay?"_ Sora asked her.

She looked at him with half enthusiasm. _"Sora, let's take the raft and go—just the two of us!"_

Sora looked at her like she had gone crazy.

She faked her smile some more. _"Just kidding."_

_"What's gotten into you?"_ Sora said with a shameless grin. _"You're the one who's changed Kairi."_

Her smile fell off her lips. _"Maybe..."_

She knew all this time something was wrong.

The memory continued on. I felt like I was intruding upon something I shouldn't see, but I couldn't stop observing.

_"Sora, don't ever change,_" she said to him. I had to look away.

I stumbled back, staring at the wide ocean before me. It felt so nice to have the breeze on my face. I took off my coat and lied down, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

My dreams were not comforting. They hurt, over and over.

_Sora nodded, hope aflame in his heart. "Let's go find them."_

_"I'm going with you," Kairi declared._

_"Wha...But Kairi..."_

_"No buts about it. Riku is my friend too. I'm tired of standing on the sidelines. Ansem is defeated; the immediate danger is gone."_

_Sora looked at her; her determination was not going to take "no" for an answer. He feared over her getting into huge danger again, but she was right. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was gone._

* * *

The sun was setting when I finally woke up. My black clothes were covered in sand, but I couldn't really care. It was far too comforting to have it around me.

I wished one day, Naminé, Axel, and Xion could join me here, on this beach.

I got up and dusted off my coat, pulling it back on and the hood over my head.

Then I let out a scream, kicking the sand.

I hate you Sora.

* * *

Climbing into Naminé's window, I spotted her laying down on her table.

I brushed her hair aside and kissed her cheek. "I will...I promise to set you free, Naminé," I whispered.

Her eyes opened. She sat up, sleepily.

"Roxas?"

I couldn't really say anything to her. What _should_ I even say?

I kissed her forehead, stepping back to leave out her window, a sad smile on my face.

"Roxas!" I heard her call out to me as I jumped out, landing perfectly on my feet and fleeing through a dark corridor.

* * *

I knew the Organization would be tracking me through the dark corridors. I had to go the farthest away from the Castle That Never Was as much as I could, even if it was inconvenient.

The dark corridor dumped me off in a back alley.

I stood there, frozen in my thoughts. The good-luck charm was my only source of warmth in the coldness of the city.

Clouds hung overhead, obscuring the entire sky. No stars to see above. Not even the moon of Kingdom Hearts could be seen.

Rain poured down, sliding off my coat in heavy drops. It pounded my entire being like it was reopening wounds over and over.

Light footsteps made me gasp.

"Roxas!" Naminé's trembling voice cried out to me. Each step she took made a little pitter-patter against the puddles that already formed from the intense rain. Turning around I spotted in her hand was a clear umbrella protecting her. She gasped for air, stopping right before me. "Roxas..." She said more quietly.

"Naminé, why are you here?"

"Because I have something to tell you," she said, her voice hoarse. Tears streamed down her face. I embraced her in a hug, unable to stand it when she was upset like this. "I couldn't get the threads tied together. I...I failed you, Roxas."

I shushed her with my finger. "I failed you, Naminé. But I promise to make things right. I am going to do what I set out to do. Set Kingdom Hearts free."

She pulled back, eyes wide. "But Xemnas..."

"Is no match for me," I said, in the most serious tone I could muster.

"I can't stop you, can I?" She muttered, gripping her umbrella tighter.

I placed my hands on her shoulders. "You don't need to," I reassured her. "I..."

She closed her eyes, her lips slightly parted. Something compelled me to get closer.

And closer.

And _closer_.

The world blurred together. The rain was no longer a concern. It was just her and me.

It wasn't until my nose brushed against hers that I realized what I was doing. I couldn't...I really shouldn't. Not now. If I did what I wanted to do, then there would be nothing to stop me from staying with her forever, never wanting to abandon her side.

I would come back for her kiss. Pulling back with a lot of restraint, I sighed with a sad smile on my face. "I will come back to you, I promise."

Her eyes opened, a nod telling me it was okay.

I let her go, walking out into the other back-alley ways.

My boots splashed with each step I took on the flooded streets. Lightning flashed overhead.

Neoshadows appeared from the ground, ready to strike at me. Oh, so this was how they were going to defend against me?

Oathkeeper appeared in one hand, Oblivion in the other. I walked down the way, each Neoshadow leaping at me but I dispersed every single one of them. More took their place, but they were nothing more than a mere distraction. I threw my keyblade behind me, whirling around destroying every Neoshadow tailing me. It came back to my grip, and I continued onwards.

The rain was still pouring down on me as I continued towards Memory's Skyscraper. More Neoshadows appeared around me. I twirled my keyblades in hand, electric sparks flying off of them as they connected for a brief moment.

Dragging my keyblades on the ground, I tore out my frustration, my anger, my hatred on the army of Neoshadows. They jumped up to tackle me but I blocked them with Oathkeeper. Jumping up with them, I sliced them away into oblivion.

Something—no, _someone_ caught my eye on top of the skyscraper. I landed back down onto the ground, backflipping closer to the front of the building. More Neoshadows arrived to take me out. The rain lessened until it stopped entirely.

I looked up, spotting a man in a black coat—just like Organization XIII. But there was something different. I didn't recognize his stature, the way the coat was made. The closest it resembled was Xemnas', but this wasn't Xemnas. It couldn't be.

I jumped up onto the skyscraper, leaping from each ledge to the next. Running up the building, the Neoshadows jumped onto the building, trying to destroy me but all I did was mow right through them.

The man, hood up and all, took a step closer to the ledge and took a leap off the Skyscraper.

I threw Oblivion at him to knock him down, but he caught it, and it didn't return to my own grip. "What?!" I exclaimed.

As the man fell, I passed by him, spotting his yellow eyes flickering to an aquamarine color underneath his hood. I reached the top of the skyscraper, looking down at the man, landing safely with my keyblade in hand.

The Neoshadows remained. I jumped off and landed perfectly on my feet. I twirled my keyblade in my hand, glaring down the Neoshadows. The Purebloods disappeared in black bubble-like smoke.

I turned and faced the man. "Who are you? You're in my way!" I declared with my jaw tight with rage. Give me back my keyblade.

"What does it matter?" the man said in an extremely deep baritone voice. "I'm here for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you trying to stop me?! She...No..."

"Because I want back the rest of Sora's memories."

Naminé told me that she couldn't get them out of me, so what would this guy do? There was nothing he could do. "Sora. Sora! _Sora!_ Enough about Sora!" The words that left my mouth were uncontrollable. Will Sora ever leave my existence ever alone? Will it ever just stop?

"Do you have some kind of plan?"

"I will set Kingdom Hearts free!" I said, pointing to the cleared sky, right at the moon. "Then I can be free. My friends can be free!"

"They will destroy you," he said as a matter-of-factly, seeming unconcerned about my being in particular. "And what will that leave behind for Naminé? The Organization will still go after her."

"I will succeed!" My teeth clenched. My shoulders tensed. I was beyond done listening to this. They don't know me, none of them do.

Looking at my keyblade, he continued to speak. "I can't let you go doing something crazy."

I stared at him incredulously. "I'm freeing Kingdom Hearts. I'm going to find Sora and destroy the shackles that bind me to him!"

"If you try making contact with Kingdom Hearts, you'll never be free of those shackles."

"Enough!" I roared with anger, charging at him with Oathkeeper.

He was on the defensive, blocking, evading, and doing everything to avoid a slash of Oathkeeper using Oblivion. I _will_ get that keyblade back.

He dodged through the darkness, shooting dark firaga orbs right at me. With a spin of Oathkeeper, every single one was deflected. I charged at him again, pushing him back with every single slice I delivered, but he would not relent Oblivion.

Time to fake it.

I lowered my guard down, allowing him to hit me up the gut and flying through the air. I landed, rather painfully on my back, but not before casting a cure spell on myself.

My hood fell off my face as I lied there, limp on the ground. The man strode over and I heard the _shing_ of the keyblade being stabbed into the ground next to my head.

I waited a moment before immediately grabbing onto it and lashing out at him. He jumped back, sending out more dark fire magic. I blasted through it, my glare ever-present on my face.

"Why don't you quit?!" I yelled. He couldn't beat me like this; I don't think anything really can.

He rolled his eyes underneath his hood. "Come on Sora, I thought you were stronger than that."

Something took over from me. "Get real," I mocked. "Look which one of us is winning!"

No way. This was...Riku.

"They were right," he said, thinking more to himself than talking to me. "You really are his Nobody."

Not this again! "What are you talking about?! I am me! NOBODY else!" Oathkeeper returned to my grip, charging at him. I bisected his gut, forcing him down onto the ground. "How many times do I have to beat you?!"

He stood up, straight and tall. Taking off his hood, he revealed someone who did not look like the Riku I knew. It was Ansem, Seeker of Darkness staring right at me.

"You leave me no choice then," he said. He snapped his fingers and a giant heartless bounded by gauze appeared behind him. I braced myself to fight this monster but it disappeared.

I had no time to react as I felt its iron grip around me, squeezing me for all I am worth. It was so painful, so agonizing. I couldn't hold my keyblades anymore.

"Nghh..." I muttered amidst my pain. "I'm... Sorry... Axel... Naminé..."

Falling.

I was falling.

Trying to catch her light.

And it fell out of my grasp.

My name is Roxas. I am the Nobody of Sora.

And it had to be him, not me.

* * *

_Secret Report 12_

Naminé's progress stalled over the greater part of the year. I must make haste to recover the solution. She informed me that the memories, the most vital ones in reawakening Sora, lied within his Nobody, Roxas. I sent Riku out to bring the boy to me.

She must make haste if we are to destroy Organization XIII. Time is of the essence. She cannot be reluctant to complete the chain of memories, now that Roxas will give them back within a shorter time frame.

Kairi, her other half, her past life, is now awake. Riku has a plan for her, one that will benefit my goals in the long term.

* * *

A/N: This is basically the last chapter of the fic. The next one to follow is the epilogue.

Q-A the Authoress: Thank you so much for your reviews! They make my day so much.:) Yes, that is Riku's report in the previous chapter.


	13. Chapter XIII: The Other Promise

_Chapter XIII: The Other Promise_

_I won't let you be alone. I'm a prisoner of love._

* * *

_Secret Report 13_

Tomorrow, Sora awakens.

The boy, Roxas, is unlike any other Nobody. He shared an unusual birth with Naminé, and somehow developed feelings and emotions. His ability to fake them is remarkable.

Naminé was far from cooperative, but she still did as she was told. The journal Roxas carries, it was a device used by Organization XIII to keep their comrades complacent. Being acting out of line so drastically—such as Roxas did, and the reset button shall be activated. Any sense of self could be wiped. I ponder the usage of memory this way, and how they came to the conclusion that this would be usable in this way. A journal or report was a recollection of a person's thoughts and feelings. Surely the ties to a heart, or lack of one in the case of a Nobody, are not so tightly woven together as they believe. Naminé however, believes in it as well.

No...any theory posited now, when everything is nearing completion, would be meaningless.

Roxas, Ansem, Naminé...

They defy all logic, yet there they are: singular exceptions to the rule.

The theories proposed by me and by Organization XIII have been blown to pieces by a handful of strong-hearted individuals.

Sora, Kairi, Riku.

My drawn-out revenge against my students is nearing completion. It is pointless to consider my pondering over recent events. The acquisition of Roxas, Naminé's open defiance in everything, Ansem—Riku's descent into darkness

Kairi's recent awakening bodes well for Sora. Ansem spent more time worrying over her than watching over Roxas, understandably. He will provide for her until the morn, when Roxas goes to the mansion and reunites with Sora, allowing his long slumber to come to an end.

A part of me wishes I could have found a better solution, with how Naminé looked upon Roxas with a passion and protection I had not seen for years. He looked at her like he knew her from a time before.

Love. The most complex of all emotions, and comes in many forms.

When all this is over, it is my fervent hope that Riku and Kairi shall return home to Sora on their island.

If I can, I should like to return to Radiant Garden, to look once more upon the beautiful water, the lovely flowers, and the hopeful smiles of the people.

Dear King, my friend!

I believe that, at some point in time, you will come across these, my truthful accounts.

How I wish I could have chatted with you again.

I was a fool, obsessed with revenge.

Forgive me.

* * *

When Naminé awoke from her endless, dreamless slumber, she was on the floor of her room. Her hand instinctively went to her wrist. The charm bracelet was still there, which mean Roxas' presence was still with her.

But where was he? All she remembered was being thrown into the darkness, feeling such a cold desolation around her, sucking her into a stranglehold.

She should have perished in the realm of darkness if it was as far into it as Xemnas claimed.

The question is why didn't she? Her bracelet felt warm against her wrist like Roxas was holding her hand with gentle care. Sitting up she leaned on the wall, her body sore from her extended rest.

Riku walked into her room. His broad shoulders relaxed in relief. "You're alright," he said in his unnaturally deep voice. He crouched down to her level. "What happened?"

Naminé rubbed her eyes, trying to think of when all this went wrong. "It's a long story Riku."

He wasn't fazed in the slightest. "Go on."

And so she explained everything. Roxas breaking into her room the first time. Her eventual realization of who Roxas is. Her discovery of where Sora's most vital memories went. The stalling on Sora's progress and restoration.

The only thing she was hesitant to explain was the warmth she felt from Roxas. She referred to him as a friend the entire time with a half-hearted tone. She was a Nobody, she shouldn't feel anything.

But how could she explain her tears, her loneliness, when Sora made her a promise? How could she explain her fears, her yearning when Roxas was around? When he was gone?

"And?" Riku asked when Naminé paused for too long to get lost in her thoughts.

She snapped out of her reverie. "Roxas tried to show me how to use a dark corridor to get around but he was followed by the Organization. They took me and tried to throw me into the deepest darkest abyss as Xemnas called it."

Riku tensed up, his breathing loud and rugged. "But Roxas saved you?"

"He did. I don't remember anything after I was thrown in," she explained. "How did I get here?"

"I found you in the courtyard."

Roxas wouldn't have left her there like that, but her only logic for it was he was too exhausted. "No one else with me?"

Riku shook his head. "No one."

She sighed. "I wonder if he's even alright."

Riku nodded underneath his hood. She could faintly see the face that was not his own. "He sounds tough. He probably is. I didn't tell DiZ you were missing for a while. He doesn't suspect a thing."

"Thank you, Riku."

"Now, you should rest up. You went through a lot. Can you stand?"

She pushed herself up the wall, taking a couple of unsteady steps forward before getting her balance in check. "Yes." She moved to her chair, her sketchbook lying on the table along with her pencils.

Riku caught sight of the black notebook sitting next to the vase of flowers. "What is that?"

She reached out to it, running her fingers over the white lettering. XIII. "It's Roxas'."

He didn't pry anymore. "I'll be back."

Out of fear that it was the wrong journal, she opened it up to the first entry. There was text in it. Seeing only that, she closed it, relief washing over her.

_"I have one more thing to ask of you," Roxas said, his fingers reaching into his inner coat pocket. He took out two black journals. "Please take care of this." He presented them to her, both with white letters painted on it. "Organization XIII threatened to wipe my memories using this."_

_"Which one is real?" she asked with wide eyes. The Organization's experiments on memories were far more potent than she thought. A mere device such as a journal could be used to wipe his memories?_

_He opened them both to a random page. One had written words in it, the other was blank. "This one," he pushed the journal into her hands._

_She felt every thread within Roxas in her hands. It was terrifying to think about how he poured his soul and existence into this small book and easily it could be used as a weapon. "I promise to keep your memories safe," she said, holding the book tight._

_He placed a hand on her shoulder with a deep gaze of endearment. She felt warm and secure whenever he touched her. "And I promise to always protect you."_

* * *

Axel lay upon his bed, the moonlight of Kingdom Hearts illuminating his dark room.

He wondered how long it would be before Xemnas caught onto the fact that he had let Roxas go. Saïx should have caught onto it but he said absolutely nothing since the incident.

Surely he would be punished, but how? He only could think of many. Turned into a Dusk. Forced to give up control over his assassins—fat chance there.

Forced to find Roxas. Forced to eliminate him.

He knew in his gut this would happen. Eventually, the sad reality and nature of Organization XIII would catch up with Roxas, his only friend here, and he would perish. Even worse, Axel knew he would probably be sent to do the dirty work while Xemnas kicked back on his throne.

That's all he was good for in this Organization, being the one doing the icky jobs.

He could leave, but would that do? He'd end up just like Roxas. Just like the traitors of Castle Oblivion.

Axel sighed.

There was a popsicle stick on his window sill that said WINNER.

* * *

Naminé lay down on the white table, sleepy after a long day of wondering where Roxas was. Her sleepiness took over. Her thoughts on everything lulled her right to the edge of rest. She had to find him and...And do what? Tell him she was thankful for him saving her life? That she was sorry he had to risk it at all?

She heard his swift footsteps, his boots clunking on the floor as he climbed back into her room. His gloved fingers brushed her hair aside as she wrestled herself awake. "I will...I promise to set you free, Naminé," he whispered.

Mustering up remaining energy, she forced herself to sit up. Everything was cloudy still. What was he going on about? "Roxas?" She mumbled, trying to look at him clearly.

He just stood there for a few moments before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Something was terribly wrong. Normally, Roxas was a chatterbox, or moody in his usual way. This, this was far different. He looked incredibly sad at her.

Her gut twisted as he turned on his heel and jumped out her window. "Roxas!" She cried out to him, her voice hoarse.

No...No. Naminé wasn't losing him like this. She wasn't losing anyone else. She would spend an eternity trying to get the remaining memories, the loose threads, if it meant saving Roxas. She knew this was selfish, how could she not, but she kept this goal in mind anyways.

Riku busted into the room, finding a distraught Naminé. "What happened?"

"He just...Left," she said, trying not to cry. "He's going to do something reckless I know it! Riku please, help me. I need to get to Roxas."

He nodded. "Where would he go?"

"To The World That Never Was," she said. "But..."

"We don't know how to get there without the Organization breathing down our necks," Riku said.

She sighed. "I know… Unless..." She looked to the journal on the table. She picked it up, feeling Roxas' memories bound within. She reached out to the threads, finding the most recent one made of the dark city. Axel was in it too. He has been there before, that is where he will be. "I know where to go, Memory's Skyscraper but I cannot make the dark corridor," she pleaded. "Please Riku."

She snapped her fingers, making a small wisp. Riku sighed and made the wisp larger and larger using his own darkness. Putting the notebook down on the table, she nodded to him. "Keep the channel open. I will be back."

He didn't say or do anything as he watched her walk into the corridor. Once she was out of sight, he spoke words he didn't want her to hear.

"You love him, don't you?"

* * *

Riku made his way through the mansion, looking over the status of Sora on DiZ's computer. Still stalled. But now he knew where the progress was stalling. Roxas carried Sora's memories of Kairi.

He had to laugh at the irony. Roxas and Naminé formed a relationship independent of Sora and Kairi. They were mirrors of reality. A product of their emotions.

"If we can get to Roxas before he completes Kingdom Hearts," DiZ mused. "Then we can extract his essence to complete Sora if we have to."

Riku swallowed dryly. Something told him that Naminé would not be able to convince Roxas from his suicide mission. "DiZ, I might know where Roxas is. He left the Organization."

DiZ paused in his typing. "Then bring him to me, so Sora may awaken at last."

The teenager stood there, trying to hide his reluctance. Without a moment to spare, Riku left.

* * *

Naminé stood there, watching the back of Roxas run out into the rain. Her lips were trembling but she had to remain strong, or she told herself that.

The rain continued pouring. It was far too wet out for her to follow after him. She waited with bated breath for a few minutes, hoping she would be a far enough distance away so she wouldn't be collateral damage...Again.

But she had to make sure he was alright.

The rain lightened. It was safe to move about.

She found no Heartless or Nobodies around. Did Roxas eliminate them all? Moving through the alleyways towards Memory's Skyscraper, something in her stomach sank.

She knew she couldn't convince him to give up his relentless task of eliminating Organization XIII, but still, it could lead to something worse. Something terrible could happen to him. She berated herself internally. His memories were safe with her, she needn't worry.

When she came upon Memory's Skyscraper, a dreadful sight greeted her.

Roxas was laying on the ground, his keyblades gone, his hood fallen off his head. Riku stood there, thoroughly exhausted.

His eyes met hers. His expression was full of sadness and regret. "I had no choice, Naminé."

Her throat was tight. It really came to this. Rather than risk Roxas be turned into a puppet and lose Sora, it was only natural that Riku would make his choice. Eventually, DiZ would come to the conclusion to force Roxas into the no-win scenario, the less risky scenario, but no less painful.

She tried, she really did.

Naminé ran over to Roxas, cradling his head on her lap. "Roxas..." She breathed out, trying to choke back her cries. Tears slipped out, dripping down her cheeks and onto Roxas' face. "I'm so, so sorry." she brushed his heavy bangs aside, trying to look at him one last time. "Everything," she hiccupped, trying to get the words out. "Everything will be alright. You'll... You'll be whole."

* * *

Her tears ran out eventually. She watched from the shadows as DiZ transported him into a fake, virtual Twilight Town.

And then DiZ found the journal, asked her what it was. Naminé swallowed as she recorded his memories down in her sketchbook, keeping them intact as she wrote into his journal new, fake memories on the blank remaining pages.

It killed her on the inside, but she couldn't muster up any more tears.

She knew he would always remember her.

As she watched from the curtains of her room, Roxas stared at her. A passion, a deep sense of hope and unwillingness to let his ultimate fate be to forget, to lose his other promises, she would do anything and everything to defy her orders and let him remember who he was.

She continued back to her work. The threads of Sora's memories were easy to catch now, and soon, once Roxas returned to Sora, she would return to Kairi, finally at peace. Putting pencil to paper in the journal, Naminé wrote another line to his life. Another side, another story.

His name was Roxas. He would never be anyone else, not as long as she was there to remind him of it.

_The end._

_Dedicated to the Rokunami: Love in Twilight server._

* * *

A/N:

The end...For now XD

Thank you to everyone who read and favorited and reviewed this fanfiction. I will be returning to _Lines In-Between_ soon to finish Roxas and Namine's story once and for all. This is truly not the end for them.

Q-A the Authoress: Oh snap indeed haha. Thank you for all your reviews :)


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